The Island
by BKK
Summary: June 25: Chap 15 is up! Wonder Woman gets caught in the middle when both the Amazons and a race of mysterious warriors want her to help stop a war. But is that really what the two sides want?
1. From the heat of battle

Prologue: From The Heat of Battle

Legend tells of the island Blóta that is hidden from all, even from those on Themyscira.

The inhabitants, although they live in peace, are the offspring of the world's greatest warriors.

Their origin, the legend states, began in battle.

In the days when the different gods were more social, the Norse gods and the Greek gods argued about who had the best warriors. A challenge followed and a group of 100 Berserkers and 100 Amazons were sent to Blóta, a small island, between Norway and Greece.

For months the battle raged with neither side having a clear advantage. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, saw the battle and mourned. Why, she thought, should these people fight when their spirits were compatible and they should be allowed to celebrate love?

Rather than confer with anyone, she cast her magic and removed the blood lust from both groups. They saw each other for the first time and fell in love. The warriors became lovers and appealed to their gods to be released from the challenge. Thor was furious and threatened to go and fight the Amazons on his own. Ares was equally angry and, had it not been for the intervention of Zeus himself, would have challenged Thor.

In the end, it was the women who solved the dilemma. Freya of the Norse gods and Hera of the Greek gods met and agreed with what Aphrodite did could not be undone. The warriors would be allowed to remain as they were. However, the island would be hidden from all and while the inhabitants could continue to train and teach their warrior ways, they would be forbidden to engage in any non-defensive battle unless approved by both the Greek and Norse gods. Until such a battle required more to leave, only one member of the island could leave for a month once a year in order to engage in trade or other necessary items – although the island would provide what they needed. The Blótan chosen was forbidden to disclose information about the island to outsiders. The Blótan was also forbidden to engage in intercourse with an outsider.

And so it was.

There are those who say that this event ended the socialization of gods. Both groups, feeling humiliated, did not speak to one another. The other gods saw how a harmless wager nearly became a war between the gods and turned away from one another to protect themselves and their followers.

Many searched for Blóta – usually kings searching for warriors to help them fight their battles. They never found it. As both the Norse and Greek gods lost followers and sunk into obscurity, Blóta was forgotten.


	2. Lunch with a friend

Chapter One: Lunch With A Friend

Bruce Wayne, sitting alone at an outdoor table at a Gotham restaurant, looked at his watch.

_Still two minutes_, he thought and looked down the sidewalk.

For the past several years, two days before the opening of the Gotham Arts Festival, Bruce would have lunch with one of the artists, Atreus Fairhair, at popular Mexican restaurant. The two men had become friends at the first Arts Festival that Fairhair attended. Bruce had loved the man's pottery and had bought an absurd amount of it and during the transaction, the two had started talking. They had a lot in common, which seemed odd for two men with such different lives but from then on, they met at the restaurant – in part to give Bruce the first shot at the selection of Fairhair's art and in part to simply talk.

Bruce had suggested a variety of other restaurants, but Fairhair always wanted to go to the same place. It was the best Mexican in town and Fairhair acted like he never got Mexican food any other time. Bruce knew of cuisine –specific addicts, in fact, he had another friend who seemed to only eat Japanese, so he humored his friend.

Bruce spotted Fairhair walking down the sidewalk and acknowledged him by raising a hand in greeting. The artist did not look like a man who spent his life molding clay and fine wire. He looked like a professional football player. He was in perfect physical shape, with wide shoulders and a small waist. He had long, dark hair that he wore pulled back and tied with a simple silver clasp of his own making. He wore a pair of tan leather pants and a long white tunic that both accented his light olive-toned skin and his bright green eyes. He had a leather messenger bag slung across his body in the same color as his pants – the whole effect suggested that Fairhair was barely civilized. The response from the women in the area as he approached was profound. In fact, had it not been for Bruce's quick reflexes, the waitress staring at Fairhair approach would have dumped salsa in his lap. As it was, Bruce moved in time to not only avoid the accident, but right the bowl for the waitress who, blushing, thanked him.

Bruce stood and walked over to the gate partition between the restaurant's outdoor seating and the sidewalk and warmly shook the hand of his friend.

"Atreus, how has your year been?" he asked warmly.

Fairhair smiled. "Fine. I'll be with you in moment." With that, he continued towards the front door and was soon sitting across from Bruce.

"I look forward to this all year," Fairhair said, opening his menu like a child looking at the gift pile at his birthday party.

"This place is good, Atreus, but you have to have decent Mexican at home," Bruce said.

"You would be surprised," Fairhair said with a faint smile.

"Well, when you are done with art, let me know and I will invest in your opening a Mexican restaurant in your hometown."

Fairhair laughed warmly. When the salsa and chips came, he smiled brightly and began munching.

The two men ordered and engaged in small talk for a while. Fairhair was married and had three children and was always full of funny, happy stories. Bruce enjoyed listening to someone who was so at ease with himself and his life. After a moment, Fairhair opened his messenger bag and pulled out a binder.

"Before the food comes and I discover a hundred places to spill guacamole, let me show you the work this year," Fairhair said and handed the binder to Bruce. "I did include the jewelry like you asked. That is a first for you, Bruce, did some woman finally catch your eye?"

"Many, many women catch my eye, Atreus, you know that. However, yes, there is one who would enjoy your work and I thought I might surprise her with something."

Fairhair looked at him as if waiting for more, but didn't push. Bruce smiled. The two men kept their secrets and each respected that.

Until their food arrived, the two discussed the art. Bruce picked up a couple of vases for the study and a necklace in the Greek key meander style for Diana. It was simple and elegant and he thought she would like it. Fairhair's art was quite interesting. His pottery, for example, looked Greek but the designs were more Nordic. His jewelry was the opposite – Greek designs in the Nordic fashion. He thought it was odd to combine those two cultures but it seemed to work.

After a few minutes of focusing on their food, Fairhair suddenly looked serious.

"Bruce, may I ask an odd favor of you?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I need to get a message to Diana, the Princess of Themyscira. Do you know how I could do that?"

Red flags and alarms started going off in Bruce's head. The list of people who would refer to Wonder Woman in that manner was very short and should not include Fairhair. However, Bruce kept his expression flat.

"Who?" Bruce asked, pretending confusion.

Fairhair paused to think. "Oh, ah, Wonder Woman. Can you help me get in touch with Wonder Woman?"

Bruce laughed. "Oh, sorry, my friend, I have Superman on speed dial but not Wonder Woman. Why do you need to talk to her? Besides, you're married. I am not sure you ought to be trying to get a hold of her."

Fairhair looked disappointed. "My mistake. I thought you might have a way, seeing how connected you are."

"Oh, now you are challenging me," Bruce said lightly. "I am sure there is a way. But again, why do you need to talk to her?"

"There is a situation where I am from that I believe she can help with," he said vaguely.

Bruce looked at Fairhair, considering. He had known the man for years and knew very little about him. However, instinct told him that what little Fairhair was telling him was the truth. Bruce did not believe Fairhair was looking to harm Diana and that he really did want help.

"Well, there is a reception for an art exhibit opening this weekend in Metropolis. She is connected with that museum. I have an invitation for two and I didn't have a date. I guess you could go with me and we could see if she shows up," Bruce said. "I can't make any promises though."

Fairhair smiled and looked like Bruce had just thrown him a lifeline. "I cannot thank you enough for this opportunity, my friend."

"Well, try not to look too much better than me and we will call it even," Bruce said with a smile.

For the rest of the meal, they discussed the logistics of getting Fairhair to the Wayne Manor before the reception.

When they went their separate ways, Fairhair promised to bring Bruce's purchases to the Manor prior to the reception. Bruce returned home and went to the Batcave. For the first time since the two had met, he decided he needed to see what he could find out about Atreus Fairhair.

----------------------------------------------

"So, let me see if I understand," Diana said with a teasing grin. "You want me to meet your friend, even though your investigation of him turned up nothing. Because even though you don't trust the lack of information, you trust him."

They had finished having dinner at the Wayne Manor and had moved to the study to drink coffee and talk some more. They were sharing a sofa – Bruce was sitting in the traditional fashion and Diana was sitting across the sofa with her legs in Bruce's lap. She was sitting up and leaning towards him with a sparkle in her eye and a smile at the idea of the great detective being stumped by someone he knew for years.

"Yes, because I believe he thinks he needs your help with something," Bruce said as he started to absently rub her legs. "Even if I don't know what it might be."

"I have to admit, I'm fascinated. Someone has managed to keep secrets from you. All right, I will meet your Atreus Fairhair and I will see what he wants," she said, still teasing him.

"You are too kind," he said, his tone matching hers.

She winked at him. "So, show me some of the work this guy does," she said.

"Actually, the piece on the end table behind you is by him," he said. She turned quickly and froze.

"That vase?" she asked, the tone in her voice changed. The teasing became surprise.

"Yes. It is the only one on the end table," Bruce said.

She stood up and walked towards it slowly, as if she didn't quite believe what she was looking at. She turned back towards him. "May I?" she asked.

"Of course," he answered. Almost before the sound died away, she picked up the vase. She held it carefully but turned it all around to see it from every angle.

"This is fascinating," she said. "Has he told you how he makes them?"

Bruce smiled. "He did. He uses the classical method."

She looked at him. "It is more than that, Bruce," she said. "That is how they are made on Themyscira. Well, the pattern is different, of course, but the vase is done in the same way. You can tell from the tool markings. It is more then the 'classical method', Bruce, it is the ancient method."

He smiled at her and found he was pleased that she admired the work as much as he did.

"The story he uses as a pattern, I do not recognize it."

"It is a depiction of Ragnarök.In Nordic mythology, it is the end of the universe – the gods will not even survive."

"Nordic myths on Greek-style pottery?" she laughed. "What an odd combination."

"Atreus has a Nordic father and a Greek mother," Bruce said.

"That would explain both his art and his name," Diana said. She returned the vase to the end table. "I wonder who taught him to make vases like that. I guess I can't ask him tomorrow, can I?"

Bruce smirked. "I would appreciate it if you didn't."

She walked over to him and put her arms around his neck. "It must be hard," she said, her voice returned to a teasing tone. "I can't imagine how you bear the strain of having a girlfriend who is so horrible that you have to pretend not to even know who she is when you are in public."

Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist and put on his most serious face. "It is rough. I just wish she would take the hint that she really is horrible and leave me to find happiness."

She gently swatted the back of his head. "That wasn't very nice," she said. She did pout, but her eyes were sparkling with humor.

He pretended to consider for a moment. "Nope, I suppose it wasn't."

Diana laughed. It was one of Bruce's favorite sounds. It was interrupted by the sound of the clock on the desk. After it finished chiming, she looked at him, her face serious.

"Time to go, Protector of Gotham," she said and kissed him lightly before stepping out of their embrace.

He nodded.

"Will you be here when I return?" he asked.

"If things back at the Tower remain quiet," she said. "Be smart, be brave and be safe, my love."

He smiled. That was her good-bye when he left on patrol. He kissed her quickly but thoroughly, giving her a promise of things to come and went to the Batcave.

His city was waiting.


	3. An Unbelievable Request

Chapter 2: An Unbelievable Request

Atreus Fairhair, as was his habit, arrived at Wayne Manor exactly on time. He was carrying a box with the vases and jewelry that Bruce Wayne had ordered. He thought it was odd that Bruce had been willing to take him along to the reception. Was the woman he bought the jewelry for busy somehow? Or maybe she simply didn't want to go. He certainly understood independent women – his home was full of them – and he preferred them to the needy women he met too often during his brief trips away from Blóta.

He rang the door bell and took a step back. A moment later, an elderly but stately man opened the door.

"Mr. Fairhair?" the man inquired.

"Yes, sir. Good evening," Fairhair replied.

"And to you. If you would follow me, I will take you to Master Bruce."

Fairhair paused for a moment, feeling a bit out of his depth. The tuxedo he was wearing was uncomfortable enough but he could not figure out exactly what this man's relationship was to Bruce. A servant? They existed on Blóta but the relationship was completely different.

The man smiled warmly. "Shall I take that box for you, sir?" he asked Fairhair.

"Oh no, I can carry it. Thank you," he said.

"Very good, sir."

Fairhair followed the man in an awkward silence. He was aware that somehow he had made a mistake but couldn't fathom how. Fairhair was strong and able to carry the box, so there was no need for an elder to take on that burden. It was disrespectful even if the man was a servant. But somehow, he got the impression that he was being disrespectful by not giving him the box. He wished there was someone he could ask about that. Even after years of regular visits, he did not understand all the differences between his home and Off-island.

Fairhair was so lost in his thoughts that he nearly ran into the man he was following. The elder had stopped at the end of a staircase as Bruce was walking down the steps. Fairhair smiled. Bruce couldn't stop him from making errors in etiquette, but perhaps he could help Fairhair recover from them.

"Good evening Atreus," Bruce said warmly. "I trust you found us all right?"

"Yes, thank you."

Fairhair was getting a strange vibe from Bruce. He couldn't exactly describe it but something had happened in the few days since they had seen each other that had cooled Bruce's friendship. Fairhair could not imagine what possibly happened – he had spent the last several days in the Gotham Arts Festival and dealt with all his customers honorably. Usually, it wouldn't bother him, but he needed Bruce to get into the reception so that he could talk to Princess Diana. Bruce had always interested Fairhair. For a man who pretended to be so open and a bit bewildered, Bruce Wayne was actually extremely reserved and brutally intelligent and observant.

"Excellent," Bruce said and looked at his watch. "Well, we need to get moving to get our ride to the reception. Alfred, if you wouldn't mind putting Atreus' box in the study, I will take care of it tomorrow morning. Unless you are feeling inspired and want to find a home for the vases. I was thinking the shelves at each end of the room but you have a better eye for those things. Other than that, have a great night and I will see when I get back."

"Excellent, sir. Have a wonderful time," Alfred said and took the box from Fairhair who handed it over still with some reluctance.

"Well, let's not get too optimistic," Bruce said with a smile to a departing Alfred. "It is a museum exhibit opening after all."

As they walked towards the door Fairhair had just entered, Bruce turned to him with a smile.

"I have good news for you," Bruce said to Fairhair. "I called a couple of people and, as long as the world doesn't end tonight, Wonder Woman will be at the reception. So, that should mean we didn't get dressed up for nothing."

----------------------------------------------

The Metropolis Museum of Art was designed to impress, both inside and out. In addition to the very large, very modern main museum building, the designers had included a single-story rotunda with a domed, glass roof. The whole purpose of the rotunda, which was connected to the main museum by a glass walkway, was to host events. The wait to get married in the rotunda, which only held 100 people, was three years and the city's upper class had a running joke about how, if the third date went well, the wise would get on the waiting list. Although an urban legend, there were those who believed that, for a large donation to the police department, Superman would fly overhead during important events.

The rotunda was the site of the exhibit opening. The guests would drink, eat and socialize as the sunset and then would walk through the walkway into the museum to see the collection.

By the time the two men arrived, the event was in full swing. There were about 75 people, mostly what Bruce had come to consider "the usual suspects" for one of these events. He found Diana immediately. She was surrounded by a small group of men, each trying desperately to steal her attention from the others. Her back was to Bruce and Fairhair.

Some of that, Bruce thought with a tiny smile, was her own fault. She had decided to wear the black dress.

The dress, which she wore very rarely, was the ultimate simple classic cocktail dress. It was strapless and knee length. The top was tight and the skirt flared just enough to accent the length and strength of her legs. She was a vision of strength and grace in that dress and Bruce always found himself having graphic thoughts about getting her alone and out of that dress as quickly as possible.

"Is that the princess?" Fairhair asked, the awe in his voice plain.

Bruce cocked his head as if considering. "I think it is. And if you think this view is impressive, wait until she turns around."

Fairhair glared at Bruce but for less than a second. In fact, had Bruce been a less observant man, he would have missed it completely. But since he hadn't, he added the look to his mental file on Fairhair. He was beginning to rethink the wisdom of the meeting with Diana but his instincts still told him Fairhair was a good person. But both his curiosity and his paranoia were on overdrive.

A waiter carrying a tray full of drinks paused in front of the two men and offered them champagne. They both accepted a glass. Bruce smiled at Fairhair as if there was nothing wrong.

"Shall we go talk to her then?" he said as he began to confidently stride over to Diana.

They were about three feet from her when she, clearly sensing them, turned around.

She stared at Bruce for a moment, clearly pretending to place him. And then she smiled.

"Bruce Wayne, isn't it?" she said warmly. "We keep running into each other at these functions. How are you?"

"I am fine, thank you. Even happier that you remember me. But, I would like to introduce you to a good friend of mine, Atreus Fairhair."

Diana turned her head and smiled warmly. She was, however, unable to make eye contact because Fairhair dropped his head and bowed slightly.

"Princess, it is an honor to meet you," he said with all sincerity.

"Well, thank you," she said regally. "But I believe you have me at something of a disadvantage."

"I am Atreus Fairhair of Blóta and I have come to beg for your help."

Bruce watched Diana's face completely transform. The frozen smile of indulgence was replaced with an expression of pure shock.

"There is no Blóta," she hissed.

_Blóta?_ Bruce thought. Too many things about Atreus Fairhair were unknown to Bruce.

Fairhair stood completely straight and glared right back. "I do not lie," he said coldly. "And I will have more than words with someone who says otherwise."

Now threatened, Diana's jaw clenched. Only Bruce seemed to notice that the crowd around them had dispersed in a polite panic.

"Outside. Now," Bruce barked, momentarily breaking his Bruce Wayne act. It worked. Both Diana and Fairhair seemed to remember where they were and followed Bruce outside the rotunda.

Once they were outside and beyond earshot of the guests, Bruce turned to them.

"What is going on here?" he demanded.

The two continued to glare at each other in silence.

"All right, Atreus, what is going on?" Bruce demanded.

"We've been betrayed," he said turning his head towards Bruce but leaving his body facing Diana as if expecting an attack. "The gods have told the Amazons of our location and they are coming to take the women."

That statement seemed to have taken the fight out of Diana. She looked stunned, although still clearly suspicious of the entire situation. Seeing the change in her, Fairhair returned to the somewhat desperate expression he had when he first asked for Diana's help.

A voice in Bruce's head told him that it was time for him to leave. When people started talking about being betrayed by gods, they were either raving mad or completely accurate and in both situations, it was best to leave them alone. In fact, it occurred to him that as Bruce Wayne, that was exactly what he ought to do no matter how much he wanted to stay, he had no intention of Fairhair learning of his other identity.

"Okay, this is where I get off," he said gently. "You two have decided not to kill each other but want to talk crazy. Fine. Frankly, I am going back to the party and drink until I forget all this. Atreus, when you are done, I promise to still remember that I'm your ride."

He clapped his hand on Fairhair's shoulder in a token of friendship. Then he turned to Diana.

"Princess, it remains a pleasure," he said and started back to the rotunda.

He waited until he was sure they weren't watching him to put the earpiece in. He heard their voices right away. The bug he put on Fairhair's jacket collar was transmitting perfectly.

_Now, about that drink_, he thought as he headed back to the party. He thought he had about twenty minutes before Fairhair rejoined him and while he had no intention of actually getting drunk, he planned to look like he was.

----------------------------------------------

"What would you have me do?" Diana asked gently.

Fairhair felt a wave of relief sweep over him. She was willing to listen.

"Visit your mother. Explain that women can live among men happily. If you want to visit us and see for yourself before you come, that would be fine. But women on my island are strong and powerful and equal to the men. It has never been any other way." He smiled gently. "Could you imagine Amazon women allowing it any differently?"

Diana smiled but it was short lived. She didn't want to tell Fairhair about the challenges she would face visiting her mother. It was none of his concern and should she decide to believe him, she would find a way to overcome them.

"Which god told you of this betrayal?" she asked.

"My sources are my own," Fairhair said coldly.

Diana kept her face neutral but sighed internally. _Oh Hera_, she thought, _save me from the pride of men._

"Ares, then?" she asked innocently.

His face remained equally blank but for a moment, his eyes seemed to turn an unnatural shade of green.

"I need to know," Diana said. "It helps me understand the situation. If Athena or Hera went to the Amazons, they overheard a plot and came in warning. If Ares came, he wants to start something. I am not asking to question your honesty." Towards the end, her voice did gain an edge of frustration but she would not apologize for it. She was frustrated.

Fairhair paused for a moment and then answered. "Ares came to us and said that the Amazons were coming to reengage the battle and remove the women from our island. He did not say, nor did I ask, why now after all this time."

"That is the question," Diana agreed. "It would have come as a shock to my sisters to hear that your island is real. It is not an old wound that has been festering among my people."

She sighed. There were too many questions. She didn't need him to say anymore. She knew that she was going to explore this.

"I will go," she said. "I will speak to my mother about this war and then I will come to see your island. I will only promise that I will see what my sisters have planned. If they are planning for a battle and, after visiting your island, I believe the women are happy; I will attempt to convince my mother not to attack. On that you have my word."

"I thank you. You are all that I was told," Fairhair said. He gave her the coordinates to his home and then they went their separate ways. Fairhair returned to the party and Diana, with much on her mind, returned home.

Neither of them saw the three ravens sitting on a nearby boulder. All three had been paying close attention to the entire conversation. Once Diana and Fairhair went their separate ways, two of the ravens flew off to report to their master. One kept his own counsel.


	4. Waiting

Author's Note: Several of the Norse gods are going to take a major role in this story. While I promise not to go into more detail than I have to, there will be some background as I am assuming that my readers know more about the Greek gods than the Nordic gods (the Greek gods also have a role). I apologize for those who find this unnecessary. And, while most of the things I will say about the Norse gods are backed in myth, I am taking some liberties. For example, the green eyes, "the eyes of Odin," are not.

Chapter 3: Waiting

After returning to the Watchtower following her conversation with Fairhair, Diana went to workout. Her mind was whirling and she knew that a good workout would help settle her conflicting thoughts and emotions. Learning that Blóta existed was a shock. Following through on her promise to visit Themyscira where she was forbidden was going to require quite a bit of planning and she did not have time for it, if she was to believe that her sisters were gearing up for war. A clear mind was critical.

When she entered her room in the Watchtower for a shower, she didn't need to turn on the light to know that she had a visitor. Turning on the light did let her see his stance and glare well enough to know that it wasn't a friendly visit.

"Five minutes," she said in way of greeting. "I want to take a quick shower."

"It can wait," the Dark Knight answered. "Blóta."

She continued to walk towards the bathroom. "You can talk to me while I shower. But I think a several-thousand-year-old island that you only learned about today can wait a few minutes while I get cleaned up."

He glared but didn't argue. Silently, he followed her into the bathroom.

Once she was standing under a stream of warm water, she opened the conversation.

"What did Fairhair tell you on the flight back to Gotham? I don't want to repeat anything."

"Nothing. Bruce was drunk and was to busy giving Atreus a hard time for fighting with you." Suddenly his voice began to slur. "Why would you fight with someone that hot? I would never, ever fight with someone who looked like her."

Diana laughed.

His voice returned to normal. "He will tell me his secret when he is ready."

Diana frowned, which he couldn't see through the shower curtain. "Well, I can't really explain it all to you without divulging his secret."

"That's fine. I'll look surprised when he tells me."

Diana smiled. She should have known that would be his response.

"All right. First, you need to understand that there was a time when all the gods interacted with each other. It was rare, but it happened. It usually was some sort of 'my followers are better than your followers.' The Greeks and the Norse gods had a contest regarding the Amazons and the Berserkers." She paused. "You know the Berserkers, yes?"

"Odin's warriors. Able to fight without tiring," he answered in a tone that made it clear he didn't think she was moving quickly to the point. Diana nearly done with her shower and grateful for the curtain that continued to hide her expressions, frowned again.

"They are real," she said.

"Still not seeing how this works together."

"The Amazons and the Berserkers fell in love and stopped fighting. The gods were disgusted that both sides lost and since then, to my knowledge, the gods have not interacted. Blóta is the island where the battle was fought and now the descendants of those warriors live. Fairhair is one of those descendants."

With that, Diana turned off the water in the shower, grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. Dripping, she stepped out of the shower.

She sincerely doubted that Batman had indulged in an expression with the news of Atreus' background but she wished she had seen his face, just in case there has been something.

"I believe he has the Berserker strength. He has, at least, the green eyes."

"Green eyes?"

"An almost neon green flash. He was a little angry and I saw it."

She removed a robe from a hook on the bathroom door and slipped it on. Then she turned back to him and answered as she tied the knot. "I know that the green flash is related to the Berserker power. I have heard it called 'the eyes of Odin'."

"Odd, considering Odin has only one eye," Batman said.

Diana smiled at him. "That is what you find odd?"

"Well, some of it is going to take some processing. Are you saying that all the religions are correct?"

Diana nodded. "Yes. Basically, each god with a follower exists. Some are stronger than others, but they all are real."

"So atheists are in for a surprise."

Diana arched an eyebrow at him. She nearly asked the question but decided the better of it. The last thing she wanted to do was get into an argument about religion with Batman.

"Do you believe him?" Batman asked, returning to the subject at hand.

Diana sighed. "He wouldn't lie to me. It is not in the nature of his people. It is, however, in Ares' nature so Fairhair may have been misled."

Batman noticed that Diana was clearly assuming that he had overheard her conversation with Atreus. He nearly pretended that he didn't in order to see how she would present it but than decided that he didn't want to waste the time.

"So what is your plan?"

"Actually, I am glad you are here. I wanted to talk to you about coming to Blóta with me after I visit my mother."

"No."

Diana stared at him for a moment with no expression on her face. "It is one day away from Gotham. I need you. I need you to help me figure out what is going on."

"No. If I go, I go Themyscira too."

Diana's answer was immediate and harsh in tone. "No. Impossible."

"First of all, it isn't impossible. Second, if you want me to discover what is going on, I have to be there for both sides. And third, if there is one place where you are going to need an extra set of eyes, it is going to be when you are among the Amazons."

"I know not to trust Ares. I can handle that trip on my own."

"Ares, of course. But what about your mother? What if your mother tries to deceive you?"

"My mother would never lie to me."

"And that attitude, Princess, is why you need me there."

Batman waited a beat while he watched Diana's face. The anger quickly turned into acceptance. She knew, as ugly a thought it was, that he was right.

Finally, she sighed. "All right. I suppose while I am asking Athena for safe conduct for one, I can ask for two."

----------------------------------------------

The two ravens, Huginn (Thought) and Muninn (Memory) returned to the hall of Valaskjalf and each landed on a shoulder of their master, Odin, who was sitting on his high seat Hlidskjalf.

Odin, the head god of the Norse, was glad to see the ravens back but otherwise was not pleased. He had seen all that they had seen. He was excited by the sense of an approaching battle but was not happy by the treachery he felt was behind it. He turned to his wife, Frigg.

"I do not wish to war with the Greeks again," he said. "They are dishonest and have no honor."

"But why would they wish to battle?" Frigg answered. "They have no more advantage than they did before."

Odin looked at Frigg. "I agree. But they would not start this if they did not see an advantage. This means there is something that I do not know."

Frigg said nothing. Her husband hated mysteries. In fact, that bothered him more than possible treachery by the Greeks. Odin had made his life a quest for knowledge. He had literally hung from the Tree of Knowledge for nine days in order to learn the secret of the runes. His ravens existed to bring him news of the human world. Not knowing would gnaw at her husband.

He said nothing more to her as he stood and put on his blue cloak. He looked at her and gave her a grim smile as he prepared to leave Valaskjalf to gather intelligence.

Frigg had expected no less.

----------------------------------------------

Alfred rarely bothered Bruce during the time after dinner and before patrol started. If Bruce wanted to talk to Alfred, he would initiate the conversation. So, when Alfred intercepted Bruce on his way to the Batcave, the Dark Knight knew it was serious, or at least something the butler thought was serious.

"Master Bruce, I am unsure where I should put the necklace that Mr. Fairhair brought during his visit."

Years of training kept the frustration from showing on Bruce's face. He was not in the mood for a conversation about his relationship with Diana which was exactly what, with that opening, was about to happen.

"Just leave it in the study, Alfred. I have a plan for it."

"I was unaware that Ms Diana was coming to the Manor soon."

"Nor am I, Alfred. In fact, I suspect it will be some time before she visits here."

Bruce saw the tiny flicker of Alfred's eyebrow. _And here we go_, he thought.

"Shall I arrange to have it delivered to the Watchtower?" Alfred asked. Both men knew the answer to the question.

"Not necessary. Like I said, Alfred, I have a plan for it."

"Of course, sir."

Bruce had learned when he was young that only a fool left Alfred after he said 'of course, sir' in that disappointed tone of voice. The wise man would just stand there for a moment and let Alfred have his say. Bruce didn't want to stand there but a few minutes now would spare him a much longer period later.

"All right," Bruce said. "What would you like to tell me, Alfred?"

"Nothing, sir. You have, you said, a plan."

Bruce pursed his lips briefly.

"Alfred, I am not going to beg you to stick your nose in my affairs. This is your last chance to tell me what is on your mind."

"Since you asked, sir," Alfred began with no irony in his voice, "if memory serves, this is the first gift you have gotten the princess. I am concerned about the motivation behind it."

"In other words, you want to know if the necklace is a peace offering of some sort. And if so, I should get it to her as quickly as humanly possible rather than using 'a plan' since clearly I was the one who messed up."

"As you say, sir."

"Alfred, Diana and I are fine. The motivation behind it is I thought she would like it and I enjoy supporting Atreus' work. However, I would like to take a moment to remind you that the wisest course of action would be to remember whose roof you live under when you take sides in any argument between us, real or imagined."

Alfred did not even pretend to look abashed. But he also pretended that he believed Bruce's story about the motivation behind the purchase of the necklace. Whatever the unspoken reason was, Alfred would have to find out later. The butler nodded his head in acknowledgement.

"Very good sir," he said and left Bruce to his patrol. "Have a safe and productive evening."

Bruce muttered several rude things about nosey butler father figures on the way to the Batcave.

----------------------------------------------

It had been three days since Diana had petitioned Athena for safe passage to Themyscira. She had taken to spending most of her time in either her room or the gym because her anxiety about the upcoming mission had made her unpleasant to be around. At least, that is what Flash had hinted at and she knew that if he was telling her, it must be serious. Ever since the encounter with the Justice Lords, Flash seemed to be the one assigned to tell League members when they were being annoying. As if somehow seeing a world without Flash was enough to keep members of the League from killing him when he served as a messenger.

She was sitting in her room reading when an owl appeared above her bed, holding a piece of paper in its talons. Diana, knowing the owl was from Athena, dropped to her knees and bowed her head while the owl dropped the paper and flew towards the mirror. The owl flew through the mirror and disappeared.

Athena's face appeared in the mirror moments behind the owl. Diana moved so that she was facing the mirror, but kept her head bent and on her knees.

"My daughter, I have granted you and your man safe passage to Themyscira," Athena said gently. "I warn you, this task comes with a heavy mantle for you to carry. You and your man need to rely on each other."

"Thank you, wise goddess. Your intervention is most appreciated."

"My daughter, listen. There is more going on than you realize. Both your mental and physical abilities will be taxed. Do not push your bat away. His mental and physical abilities will be of use to you. This is the only reason, my daughter, that I granted him safe passage to the home of the Amazons. Hear me when I tell you that while your strength and his wisdom are critical to your success, do not take his strength for granted and do not let him do so to your wisdom."

"Of course, most honored goddess," Diana answered.

"Know that I love you, my daughter and I will guide you as best I can," she said and disappeared.

Diana kneeled for several minutes after Athena disappeared. Then, she stood and activated her communicator.

"Wonder Woman to Batman. The document has arrived."

"Acknowledged."


	5. Visiting Mother

Chapter 4: Visiting Mother

"Okay, so do I have this right," Flash teased. "You have one friend who is some cursed demon knight and your other friend is a Berserker? Are you friends with every freak of nature?"

Batman looked Flash right in the eye and said in his most menacing tone, "Not every freak, no."

Green Lantern smiled as Flash blushed but then said to Batman, "That was too easy. You should have let that opening slide."

Batman said nothing and Flash, quickly recovering, went on.

"Fine, okay. Very funny, Bats." Then he turned his comments to the rest of the founders, who had assembled at Wonder Woman's request. "But why is it that he is the one who gets to be taken off the duty roster to go hang out with the Amazons? I have been swamped lately; I could use that kind of break. I say we let Athena met us both and she can pick which one of us she wants."

Batman looked at Lantern. "I am letting that one slide."

GL smiled broadly. "Thanks."

Flash glared. "Hey, I don't think…."

Superman cut Flash off with a look. He had decided that the meeting had wandered a little too far off course. The Founding Members of the Justice League were meeting briefly to learn about Blóta and what Diana and Batman had been asked to do. He did not want the meeting to take a moment longer than it needed to.

"Wonder Woman and Batman are off the duty roster until further notice. While this investigation is not an official Justice League manner, other members are available for back-up if needed," he said firmly.

"Thank you," Wonder Woman said, the gratitude was clear in her voice. "I hope it turns out that other members are not necessary."

With that, Superman ended the meeting. He fell into step with Batman and Wonder Woman who were headed toward the docking bay.

"What do you think is going on?" he asked the two of them.

"I have been thinking about that for several days now," Wonder Woman answered. "The more I think about it, the more concerned I am that Fairhair's people and my sisters are being tricked into battle. And I can't think of a logical explanation as to why."

"The gods don't do 'logical'," Batman said darkly.

Superman grimaced. "That's what I'm afraid of."

"What bothers me," Wonder Woman added, "was our safe passage is in writing. I can't remember the last time one of the gods put something in writing."

Batman and Superman both stopped walking for a moment as the implications of that swept over them, but neither of them said anything.

The three walked in silence until they got to the entrance of the docking bay. Superman put a hand of each of the other's shoulders and smiled faintly. "We're here if you need us."

Diana smiled warmly. Batman glared. Feeling that all was right and normal, at least within the Justice League, Superman left them to go back to work.

Wonder Woman and Batman prepared to fly to Themyscira.

----------------------------------------------

Diana had wanted to say something for about 35 miles. Batman knew, not because she had actually said anything, but she would stare intently at him for a moment and then, as if changing her mind, would once again look out into the darkness of space.

"It would probably be easiest to just say it," he said finally, without turning his eyes from the control panel.

Diana frowned. "You are going to take it the wrong way."

"Try me."

She sighed. "I think there are going to be a lot of questions about our relationship while we are on Themyscira. Athena doesn't usually let men on the island -ever."

"It is none of their business."

"I agree. That will not stop their questions."

"It will eventually." He paused. "But why don't you want me to answer questions?"

"See, you are taking this the wrong way."

"No. You don't want me answering questions. The question is do you want the answers to come from you or from no one?"

"You are the one who insisted our relationship stay secret."

"For our mutual safety. Do you anticipate your sisters would use our relationship against you? Or me?"

"No. We are not in any danger with this visit."

Batman looked at her. He knew that this trip to Themyscira was difficult for Diana but this conversation was giving him insight into just how hard it was. And just how much she thought she had changed since her exile.

"Diana," he said gently, "we go to Themyscira as a team. You cannot control how your sisters will perceive that. What you can control is what you want them to know. That includes not only our relationship but the nature of this visit. I will follow your lead."

She smiled faintly at him. He didn't respond to it and let her return to her thoughts for the remainder of the trip. He did pause for a moment to try to determine which element of this mission was bothering him the most: the feeling that he was about to spend way too much time with gods or that the entire project was dredging up issues in Diana that she had buried for a reason.

----------------------------------------------

It is impossible to comprehend the beauty that is Themyscira. It is a clean piece of paradise in the middle of perfectly blue water. There is no sign, from the shore, of any residents at all and, because of its protected status by the gods, the land radiates a feeling of peace and happiness that an outsider can find no where else.

Batman hated the island with a passion. For several reasons. It existed in secret and kept a multitude of secrets so he distrusted it and its inhabitants. Its aura of peace mocked the reality of the rest of the world. And it had ripped itself away from the love of his life and left a huge hole in her that would never be filled.

He knew too much about emotional holes that could not be filled to forgive those that caused them, be it gods, people or land masses.

So, when the island came into view, he found himself stiffening slightly. He had long understood that his protective urges as they related to Diana were both unnecessary and unappreciated but they existed anyway. For her sake, he wanted to turn the javelin around. In deeper, angrier parts of his mind, he wanted to blast the island to bits and then turn the javelin around.

He did neither. He landed the javelin perfectly on a perfect piece of beach and immediately looked for the group of Amazons who were hiding just inside the tree line awaiting them. He followed Diana out of the javelin and watched her move with a glide and a joy that he had only saw from her one other time – the first time she had left the Manor after spending the night with him.

As soon as their feet left the sand and hit the grass, she turned to him. Her eyes were glowing with happiness and she smiled at him with the pleasure of a child.

"I love you," she told him, the glee barely contained. A minute later, the small group of Amazons made their appearance official.

Batman listened to the sound of the Amazon's feet as they made their way over to them.

_Hate. Hate this place._

----------------------------------------------

Leda had been the leader of the group of Amazons chosen to lead the exiled princess and _the man_ to Queen Hippolyta. She was aware of the honor as the Goddess Athena had instructed the Amazons to welcome both of them. But, in her opinion, Princess Diana had become too close to men since leaving the island. Watching Princess Diana walking comfortably next to _the man_ dressed from head to toe in black and gray, she was convinced she was correct. Princess Diana was showing him various sights and telling him stories about her childhood on the island. _The man_ was not hiding his lack of interest in the stories and was not treating the Princess, nor the other Amazon warriors, with the respect Leda knew was deserved. She decided it was up to her to remind the Princess, because exiled or not, she was royalty. _The man_ was not.

"Princess," Leda said smoothly. "Forgive my forwardness but have you had a daughter?"

"No," replied the Princess. "And I do expect to discuss succession issues with my mother during this trip."

"There had been some thought," Leda continued, "when you left the island, that you were seeking a warrior for that purpose."

"Too busy saving the world," _the man_ snarled. "Multiple times."

"I would think," the Princess said in a haughty tone, "that such gossip would be beneath my sisters."

"I suspect it would have," Leda said giving _the man_ a meaningful look, "had we known what passes for warriors in Man's World."

Leda found herself lying on her back before she realized that the Princess had punched her. Before letting gentle unconscious take over, Leda thought she heard _the man _say, "well, Princess, I think you've answered that question. I will certainly take your lead."

----------------------------------------------

Queen Hippolyta was sitting on her throne in the palace's state room as was right and proper. However, she was barely on the throne and she was prepared to jump off it the moment her daughter came into view.

Exiling Diana had been right. It was the Law. It had also been the hardest thing she had ever done. Her daughter had finally returned home and she had to send her away forever and into a world that she did not trust.

She was not sure how she felt about the return of Batman. Mother's intuition perhaps, but Hippolyta knew that Diana felt differently about him than the other men in the Justice League. She was concerned that Diana's fate with love would be similar to hers. And what if there was a child? Diana would never let the girl be raised on Themyscira and yet, she would be the next in line, in the unlikely event that something happened to Hippolyta. But then, the child would be half mortal. Hippolyta took a deep breath and quieted her mind.

_Worry about everything in its time, _she thought.

When Diana and Batman came into the state room, Hippolyta noted that there was one of the Amazonian party missing but was too busy flinging herself into her daughter's arms to ask what had happened.

"My sun and stars!" she said as the mother and daughter warmly embraced. "Thank Hera and Athena for your safe arrival!"

"And thank them for your continued health and happiness," Diana said with a bright smile. Then, Diana clearly remembered her partner. "Mother, you remember Batman, yes?"

"Of course. May your visit here be a pleasant and successful one," Hippolyta said formally, forcing in a bit of warmth.

She saw, even through the cowl, that Batman bite back a response before bowing his head respectfully and saying, "Being in your presence is enough for the journey to be both."

"Let's get to the heart of the matter," Hippolyta said. "But first, some refreshment."

The queen gestated towards a nearby table with fruit and drinks. There were four chairs grouped near the table. Hippolyta dismissed the remaining Amazon warriors and led her daughter and Batman to the chairs.

When they were seated, Hippolyta turned to Diana. "And now, daughter, what brings you here?"

"Mother," Diana answered. "Are you planning to attack Blóta?"

Hippolyta smiled. Her daughter's tendency to be direct had not been tarnished by her time in Man's World.

"No. But we are planning to go there. I was told that there are some Amazonian descents who may be unaware they can come home to us. We go in peace."

The words were out of the Hippolyta's mouth before she realized the implications. These strange women could come to Themyscira but her own daughter needed permission from a goddess to visit her childhood home. The mother wanted to weep a bit when she saw the hurt look on Diana's face.

"And if no one wants to join you?" Batman asked. Hippolyta studied him for a moment. His intellect and bravery were undeniable, but she would have thought that Diana would have been attracted to someone with more, well, charm.

"Then we return home. Batman, I have no interest in a war. We are warriors and that means that we do not make battles were none exist."

"And if some of the Amazons want to stay there?" he responded.

Hippolyta paused. She had not considered that at all. "I suppose," she answered. "that it would depend on what the people of Blóta think. I certainly cannot force them to accept outsiders."

"Who told you about Blóta, Mother?" Diana asked. "When I was a child, it was just a story. How long have you known of its existence?"

"Hera told me about three months ago that she believed that some of the women on Blóta might want to leave their Norse ways and embrace the Amazon lifestyle."

She looked at Batman before continuing. "I did not question the goddess as to where this information came from. I am not in the habit of doing that."

Hippolyta was pleased that Batman looked surprised to be so anticipated. She turned back to look at her daughter.

"We plan to leave next week. Now, my daughter, if I have answered your questions, I would like to know why you think I plan to invade."

"I met a man from Blóta. He believes that you are coming to take the Blótan women by force."

Hippolyta, despite years of being a queen and skilled diplomat could not keep the surprise from her face. "Who told them that?"

"Ares," Diana responded.

The queen managed to keep the anger from her face but allowed herself a small groan. "I must consult with Hera on this. I will not go if we are to be perceived as a threat."

As the implications of Diana's announcement tumbled in the queen's mind, she stood. "I need to consult with Hera now. Enjoy the wonders of the island and I will find you as soon as I have news."

As she left them and rushed for the temple, Batman turned to Diana.

"That went well," he said dryly.

----------------------------------------------

Batman had decided to return to the javelin to wait for Diana. He had heard enough to determine that whatever Hera told Hippolyta was irrelevant and he could just as easily hear it from Diana.

He had been waiting several hours and the sun was beginning to set when he heard a voice behind him say, "I did not know it was possible to scowl at such a lovely sunset."

As Batman had not heard footsteps approach, he knew it was just a question of which goddess it was. He didn't turn around.

"It's a gift," he said darkly.

"I also did not think it was possible to be so angry on such a lovely island."

Batman turned. It was Athena. She was tall, gorgeous and really, really going to annoy him. She took a few steps so she was standing next to him.

"Educating the goddess of wisdom is a pleasure I did not think I would ever experience," he responded.

With a bright smile on her face that did not reach her eyes, Athena said in a menacing voice, "don't taunt me mortal. I can do things to you that are beyond even your imagination."

"But you won't," he taunted.

Athena's smile faded. "Don't overestimate your importance. And don't underestimate the fickle nature of the gods."

"Noted. How can I be of service," he asked, the bitterness thick in his voice.

"I will pretend you sincerely mean that," she said. "I want you to help stop a war."

"A mere mortal doing what a goddess can't?"

"A mortal who has just received his last warning about his tone. I have never hunted a bat. I would be curious to see how long it would take me to put an arrow through its heart."

There was a pause as Batman repressed some of his anger.

_Don't be stupid, Bruce_, he thought

"Warning acknowledged," he said finally. "But, back to the point, we mortals don't have a lot of luck when we interfere in the affairs of the gods. It ends badly for us. Troy comes to mind. What do you think I can do?"

Athena smiled broadly which, to Batman, only proved his point.

"I think you can discover the truth that is denied to me. I think you can earn trust where I cannot. I think you and Diana can use your combined strength and wisdom to broker a peace between Blóta and Themyscira and therefore between my people and the Norse gods."

_Or, when it all blows up and we are caught in the crossfire, you are one of the ones shooting at us_, Batman thought.

"I don't suppose you can give me a hint as to who is behind this? Or, more importantly, why," he said instead.

Athena grew serious. "Believe in me," she said and disappeared.

_A little more guidance would have been nice_, he thought and continued to ponder.

----------------------------------------------

The butterfly was happy. One of the best things about being a shape-shifter is that you can follow someone and listen to conversations and only you know you're there.

Diana, who had provided him the opening he had waiting a millennium for, was talking to her mother. As he suspected, Hera said she knew nothing about Ares' involvement and encouraged the queen to continue with the original plans.

The butterfly was just about to leave the queen's chambers, where she was entertaining her daughter, when the conversation turned suddenly interesting.

"I want to know about you and Batman," Hippolyta asked without any warning.

"We are lovers," Diana answered just as bluntly.

Had the two women been watching the bright blue butterfly, they would have noticed that it seemed to fall about six inches before correcting itself and returning to its spot just inside the open window.

"Is he kind?" Hippolyta asked gently.

"Mother, he loves me. I love him. There is no reason to worry."

"Other than being your mother, my darling."

"My sisters are worried about succession," Diana said changing the subject rapidly. "Are you in any danger?"

"No," Hippolyta answered and was both honest and correct. "But you have been gone a long time. I don't want to talk about succession. It is pointless. I plan to be around until the end of days."

"And if there is a war with Blóta?"

"It will be another war. One of many, sadly, that I have faced. There will, I fear, be more after that one, should it come to pass."

The butterfly flew out the window at that point. He needed to consider if a relationship with Batman and Diana could, in fact, be used to his advantage.

The bad thing about being a shape-shifter was, if you chose your form wrong, you couldn't do things like laugh or clap with glee.

----------------------------------------------

**AN: Thanks to everyone who has been reading and/or reviewing! I have been having some fun with this. **

**Anne, I hope the scene with Athena was what you hoped for. **


	6. Blota

Chapter 5: Blóta

"Are you going to tell him?" Diana asked. It was the first thing she had said to him since reporting on what Hera had told her mother. After that, she had fallen into a pensive silence for nearly an hour. Batman had considered making her talk to him but then decided it was wiser to let her think.

He refused to pretend he didn't understand the question. And he had been considering that during his time on the beach. Their relationship had, in part, been built on respecting each other's secrets. Even if Atreus' were being exposed, there was no reason why Bruce should expose his.

"No."

"Do you think he will discover it on his own?"

"Perhaps."

"And then what will you do?"

Batman took a deep breath. It was not a stupid question, although still annoyed by the events on Themyscira he wanted to treat it as such and respond with something snippy about boiling Atreus in oil.

"I'm really not sure. People have responded to that information in a variety of ways. I'll have to see how he acts. And," he said with an affectionate glance her way, "how he tells me he knows."

His effort was rewarded. Diana giggled; a rare sound that Bruce thought was one of pure joy. He thought that perhaps her thinking had gotten her past the worst of her feelings at leaving Themyscira. She would have more to work through later, when this was all over.

_And you, _a taunting voice in his head said,_ when she needs you the most, will be of no use at all._

"You know Atreus better than I," Diana said. "How do you think he will take my mother's visit?"

"He will not be in favor of it," Batman responded. "But he will believe that she is coming in peace if you tell him she is."

Diana nodded. "This should be easy. I tell Atreus my mother is just visiting to talk to the women, which is true. Atreus is going to believe me and let my mother come on her peaceful visit. So, why do I have this feeling that it is all going to blow up in our face?"

Batman looked at her again and smiled grimly. "Because I am finally having a positive influence on you."

Diana had no response to that.

----------------------------------------------

After Themyscira, Blóta seemed like a different planet. It was further north, in the North Sea, and so the climate was cooler. However, because of its location with regard to the Gulf Stream, the climate was much warmer than its northern latitude would suggest.

As the javelin flew over the island, looking for a logical place to land, both Batman and Diana watched the landscape change. The coastline was extremely mountainous but seemed to collapse into a valley with arable fields and vast forests. Finally, they saw what seemed to be the main town and found a clearing for the javelin.

Diana was very skeptical about Blóta. It was suppose to be a story only. But here she was, looking at it. And Fairhair wanted her to believe that the men and women lived as equals. She could not believe a world where Amazon women would submit to men, but after years in Man's World, she knew that what men thought was "equal" was often far from it. She didn't know what she would do if her fears were proven correct. Well, that wasn't the case, she knew exactly what she would do – she would encourage her mother to visit and, if by force, bring the women to Themyscira.

And what if Fairhair was right? What if they had been able to find a place where women and men were truly equal? Would she want to stay? It would be not quite Themyscira but better than Man's World. And what would that mean to her relationship with Bruce? With the Justice League?

Too many questions without answers. Diana felt like that was happening too much recently.

She took a deep breath, asked Hera for strength and waited next to Batman as the hatch opened and the walkway extended.

No long after that, the very first outsiders to visit Blota disembarked.

----------------------------------------------

As a welcoming committee, Batman thought the citizens of Blóta had much to be desired. Several dozen fewer weapons, for example.

Diana and Batman had taken a defensive position, standing so that they could quickly be back-to-back in case of attack. However, it clearly looked as if the Blótans were also waiting for the first move. Diana took advantage of the silence.

"I have come at the request of Atreus Fairhair," Diana said loudly and clearly.

The Blótans relaxed at that announcement and one small boy raced away from the group. The two Justice League members assumed the boy was on an errand to get Fairhair and attempted to look relaxed without changing their position.

Batman felt as if he had walked into an alternate universe which featured a strange mix between ancient history and the modern era. The homes were in the long boat shape associated with the Vikings. And while they were wooden, the homes were clearly fitted with indoor plumbing and climate control. The people, both men and women, were dressed like Atreus – tunics, leggings and boots. It was clearly a primarily agricultural based culture, but the javelin had caused surprise and not fear. He was taking it all in when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Princess Diana! We did not expect you so soon!"

Batman turned and saw Atreus. Although dressed in essentially the same garb as when he was in Gotham, Atreus was wearing several gold arm bands. The smile was welcoming and, at his tone and approach, the others took a much more peaceful stance.

_He's the chief_, Batman thought. _I buy pottery from the leader of Blóta. _

"Fairhair! I bring you greetings!" Diana said.

"And to you. May you find Blóta full of wonder."

"I would like to introduce you to my friend, Batman," Diana said.

Atreus took one look at Batman and laughed. "I thought you were joking. You really do have Superman on speed dial, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Batman said.

"If you say so," Atreus said which caused Diana to laugh. Batman glared at her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I have Superman on speed dial," she said. "It isn't that useful. He usually doesn't answer."

Batman gave her a menacing look so Diana decided to move the conversation along.

"Fairhair, I have news from my mother I think you will find comforting," she said.

"Wonderful. But first, I promised you a tour of Blóta. Then, you will dine with my family tonight." He threw a teasing look at Batman. "Of course, you won't know anything about them, not hearing the stories I've told."

Batman sighed. "I want to know how you knew before I said anything."

Atreus smiled. "I have no doubt," he said. "Now, let's tour."

----------------------------------------------

Batman was getting tired of islands that were just a little too perfect. Blóta was not quite as bad as Themyscira, but it too suffered from an over abundance of happy, care-free people talking about peace and love and but seriously educated on the art of war, violence and death. Hard to trust. But at least, he wasn't the only man on the island.

They toured the island. They were in the main town which was completely surrounded by fields. There only seemed to be about 500 people, including children. The children were educated in a wide variety of topics, history, math, science and of course, all the necessary skills to becoming a warrior. Fairhair had walked them past groups working on archery, sword play and hand-to-hand combat. When watching the students working on the hand-to-hand combat, Diana had asked how the kids were divided. Fairhair had answered that was initially based on size and then, as talent emerged, they were divided on skill.

In fact, as the tour continued, Batman continued to notice that there seemed to be little difference between how the males and females were treated. Based on Diana's silence, punctuated by terse questions challenging what she saw by he was quite sure she was noticing it too.

By the time Fairhair brought them to the largest longhouse in the middle of the settlement, Batman was ready to see how far this gender blindness reached into the domestic scene. He also was fairly certain that Diana needed to see that too.

The longhouse was clean and decorated with a mix of Atreus' art work and tapestries on the wall. The bright colors of the art work contrasted nicely with the dark wood of the long house and gave the home a warm and welcoming look. The collection of toys, books and other domestic items on every open surface helped that as well, although it did not look messy – it just looking lived in.

Atreus' wife – Batman remembered her name as Elpis – welcomed them as she walked in. She gave her husband a chaste but affectionate kiss before turning to the guests.

"Princess Diana, I cannot express what an honor it is to welcome you to our home. Please make yourself at home and let either of us know if there is anything you need."

"Thank you. Your home is lovely," Diana answered.

Elpis was nearly as tall as Diana with long brown hair and striking hazel eyes. She was strong and slender and breath-taking. Batman realized that he had not seen an unattractive person on the entire island.

He added it to the list of things he didn't trust about either Blóta or Themyscira. Not enough ugly. As he was pondering this, Elpis turned to him.

"You are also welcome as well," she said warmly. Atreus introduced him as Batman and did not mention that they were acquainted which the Dark Knight was grateful for. He had been a bit concerned about how cavalier Atreus would be about his identity. The introduction seemed too vague for Elpis.

"You probably aren't Diana's husband as she is of Themyscira. But you could be her man as she lives off the island. Are you? Or are you a colleague?"

"Diana is a valued colleague and friend," he answered, refusing to meet Diana's eyes.

Elpis looked at him and smiled. "That says nothing and everything."

Atreus laughed warmly. The sound of their father's laugh, three children raced towards them. Batman found it somewhat satisfying to identify the eight-year-old daughter Hagne, the six-year-old daughter Persis and a three-year-old son Bion. He noticed that while there was a strong family resemblance between the children, only Bion had green eyes like his father.

Once again, the introduction of the Amazonian princess received much more interest than that of Batman, although Bion gave the Dark Knight a probing look before turning to his mother.

"Mother, Hagne said I couldn't make any bread to go with dinner! It's my turn to make it. Not hers!"

Elpis sighed good-naturedly. "First of all, none of you can use the oven without one of us."

"But!" Bion started.

"And second," Atreus popped in. "I made the bread this morning before either of you were awake so Hagne is not doing it either."

That was enough for Bion. He turned to his sister, who had stood silently during the whole exchange and said "you don't get to make bread!"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't either, you know. And it will still be my turn tomorrow."

When Bion turned back to his parents, his eyes were glowing a bright green. Elpis gasped and Atreus grabbed him. "None of that, mister, outside with us now," he said as he carried him off.

The daughters made no move to follow their father. Both Batman and Diana wanted to, but both felt the mix of concern and embarrassment from Elpis.

"Bion came into his Berserker skills early," she said, trying hard to sound light. "They usually come with puberty but Bion's came and gave 'the terrible twos' a whole new meaning. Thank Odin that Persis knew to go into a defensive posture. She defended herself brilliantly until I could redirect him."

Batman did some quick math. "At five, you held a Berserker at bay?" he asked Persis, who smiled broadly.

"He doesn't scare me," she answered confidently.

"Of course, he doesn't," Diana said. "You are an Amazon."

Atreus returned with Bion walking beside him. Both of them were a bit dirty and Atreus had small scratches on his face. He looked at his wife.

"You are right. The age difference doesn't matter. This boy needs to be in training," he said to his wife. Then he turned to his guests and smiled.

"Next time you go into battle, bring a bunch of Berserk three-year-olds with you," he said. "You will be victorious. Of course, the enemy will flee at the sight of them which would ruin the fun."

----------------------------------------------

Dinner was a noisy affair. The food was excellent and the family interaction gave both Batman and Wonder Woman great insight into Blótan culture. Afterwards, Atreus put Bion to bed while Elpis called the ruling council by blowing a horn resting on a stand in front of the Fairhair home.

The two League members followed Elpis to a longhouse next to the Fairhair home. It was much smaller than the other ones but other than some tapestries on the walls, the only furnishings were nine chairs in a horse-shoe shape and two other chairs facing the grouping.

As the three walked into the longhouse, Diana realized how little she wanted to report on the situation.

She was feeling conflicted. Blóta had been nearly everything Atreus had said it was. She was not opposed to her mother's visiting the island, but she doubted that any of the women would want to leave. They were warriors, equal to the men. At least in the Fairhair home, tasks seemed to be divided based on who was available when something needed to be done, whether it be taking care of the children or splitting logs. After spending time in Man's World and coming to appreciate that men could compliment her existence, Diana felt that her philosophy on life was closer to that on Blóta than Themyscira and that realization made her want to hurt something. She wondered momentarily if Elpis knew of a longhouse that needed to be torn down.

However, no matter what she felt about Blóta, she had a duty to the Amazons of Themyscira and she was not going to fail her sisters.

She sat in the chair that Elpis indicted. As Batman sat down next to her, he looked at her with an inquisitive expression but she returned it with an expressionless glance. He said nothing and turned his eyes to the longhouse.

Diana knew he wouldn't ask again and she loved him for it.

Elpis took one of the two center chairs. Atreus, wearing a thin gold crown and a fur-edged cloak indicating his position, joined her a moment later and sat down next to her.

The other seven members – four men and three women – took their places as they arrived. Within ten minutes of the horn sounding, all nine places were filled.

Once the last seat was filled, Atreus stood.

"I welcome you all to this council. I welcome Diana, Princess of Themyscira and Batman of Gotham, both members of the Justice League. Princess Diana has been to see her mother regarding the reports of invasion and is going to tell us what the Queen told her. Princess, the floor is yours."

Diana stood. "Your hospitality is as beautiful as your island and I thank you for it. I have been honored by the opportunity to set foot on this legendary island." The formalities being completed, she got to the point.

"I spoke to my mother. She does plan to send a delegation to your home but comes in peace. Hera told her some of your women might want to go to Themyscira."

"Never!" snapped one of the women on the council. "What would call one of us there?"

Diana felt her anger rise at the slight on her home, even if she might agree with the notion behind it.

"It is not my place to question the opinions of Hera. I cannot believe it is yours either," she said smoothly.

The councilwoman was about to respond when Atreus cleared his throat. "I believe we can all agree the gods deserve our respect. However, I find it odd that Hera would think some of our women would fit on Themyscira."

Something in his tone made it clear to Diana that there was something fundamental she didn't know. She decided she was willing to look a bit foolish in order to find it out.

"And why is that, my lord?" she said gently.

"Because we are mortal. Unless Hera is promising immortality to those who go to Themyscira which I can't imagine would entice anyone."

"You are mortal?" Batman asked without the shock that Diana would have asked the question with.

"Of course," Atreus said with a smile and no irony in his voice. "Who wants to live forever when an afterlife of endless battle awaits?"

The nods and smiles of the other council members suggested that he was far from alone in that opinion.

"Our Amazonian blood gives us a very long life," Atreus said. "But not an immortal one. And I thank Freya daily for that blessing when she insisted on that for us."

Diana's mind reeled. She doubted her mother knew the Blótans were mortal and she knew Hera knew. As much as Diana did not want to believe the goddess was using the Amazonians, she was having a difficult time reaching another conclusion.

"I think, therefore, my lord, we need to consider the very real possibility that at least some of our gods plan to restart the battle that created your island," she said grimly. "And they plan to make this island the battleground."

It took several minutes for Atreus to restore order. When he had, he looked at the League members, his face was unreadable.

"We will need to consider this and how best to proceed. I would not presume upon you to await our decision on this. I will, however, presume upon you for a communications device so that I can contact you."

Batman tossed him a communicator.

"We will take our leave then," Diana said and the two League members silently returned to the javelin.


	7. Preparation

Chapter 6: Preparation

Their meeting place did not, technically, exist. It was a dimensional plane that was neutral ground for all the gods because none of them operated there. It was a perfect place because it was usually empty.

Ares has barely finished the dimensional shift when his partner barked at him.

"You're late."

"Barely," he replied, bored already. He had carnage awaiting him.

"I heard Hera is having second thoughts about the Amazons' involvement. How serious are they?" Loki's voice was unusually panicked. The Norse trickster had literally arranged for another god's murder but he was not used to having to rely on others. He was used to taking care of situations on his own. In fact, when he had been in the good graces of Odin, he was used to have the Father of the Gods rely on him to solve problems.

"She is easy to handle. I am appealing to her thirst for power."

Loki glared at him. He was somewhat shorter than the god of war, but equally handsome. His temper and patience were no better than Ares'.

"I have not been working on this for so long in order to have your goddess mess it up at the last minute," the shape shifter snarled.

"I am sure you didn't call me here to tell me that," Ares said. "There are at least 12 minor battles that I could be overseeing."

Loki sneered at him. "Do they miss you?"

Ares gave him a disgusted look. "I am quite certain that is not the issue."

"That is the issue exactly. And while you've had a little luck on that recently, don't try to fool me. I know how little the luck has been."

"It was a glorious conflict that made this all possible."

Loki snorted. "You had nothing to do with it."

Ares sighed. "Perhaps not. But can we get to the point?"

"Did you know your Amazonian princess has taken a lover?"

"Not my department," Ares said.

"But it kinda is. I mean, as you have been known to sleep with Aphrodite."

That seemed to finally get Ares attention. He glared at the Norse god for a moment, as if considering denying it. He thought the better of it.

"And so?"

"I was thinking you could use your influence to help our cause," Loki said with a smirk.

Ares considered for a moment. "Oh, a scorned woman and all that nonsense. But I don't know. Aphrodite is quite proud of herself on that match. She may not be willing to mess with it."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I don't want them separated. In fact, I want them so gloriously happy that maybe a few little details slip their attention." The disgust in his voice should have been overpowering, but Ares was not paying enough attention.

"That I can get her to do," Ares said. "Assuming she has as much influence as she says she does."

"A lot of that going around, huh?" Loki sneered and, without further word, shifted back to his own home.

Ares stood for a moment considering how to bring the topic up to Aphrodite but the rush of battle called to him.

----------------------------------------------

Once the javelin was at a comfortable cruising altitude, Batman turned to Diana.

"I don't disagree with your conclusion," he said. "But I can't help wondering why?"

"Why what?" Diana asked.

"Why any god would want to restage the Battle of Blóta?"

Diana laughed. "My experience with the gods is that they really don't regard the concept of motive in the same way that we do."

"Granted," Batman said. "But why, after all this time, would the Norse and the Greeks start talking again?"

Diana considered for a moment. "I am not completely convinced that they are. From what I can tell, the Greeks are working alone. Ares spoke to Atreus and Hera spoke to my mother. They may be working alone."

Batman paused. "I don't think the Greeks have that much influence on Blóta. I heard people thanking Odin, thanking Thor and even Freya while we were there. Never did anyone mention one of the Greek gods. At the end of the day, I don't think Ares could do much more than worry Atreus."

"But if the invading army is of Amazons, Ares doesn't have to do anything else. Plant the seed in Atreus' head and when the delegation from Themyscira comes, the whole battle could be over a misunderstanding."

"But Atreus came to you instead of preparing for a war. The Greek gods just don't hold that much sway with him."

"You are assuming that I have helped. I was the one who suggested that the gods want to start the battle again."

Batman groaned, remembering how the Fates always got their way.

"Why do I feel like I'm trapped in the sequel to _The Iliad_?" the Dark Knight asked.

"Oh, don't flatter our situation," Diana said with a wide grin. "If you're right, we are going to end up battling the gods. It'll make Troy look like a bar brawl."

"Sounds like fun," Batman said dryly.

Diana winked at him.

----------------------------------------------

In the end, Bruce did ask Alfred to arrange to have a box delivered to Diana's room in the Watchtower since the butler was as capable of being secretive as his master.

It was a black leather case with a small gold lock. There were four dials; each dial contained the entire alphabet. There was a note on top of the box that read simply "Shakes Son 91."

Diana looked at the box and the note briefly upon her return to her room. She recognized the handwriting immediately. When the answer didn't come to her as quickly, she returned the note to the top of the case and put both items from her mind. She needed to workout and think about next steps.

When she returned from her workout, all she wanted was a shower and some sleep.

But, she tried one word, 'love' on the lock, knowing that it was not the four letter word he would use because it was too sentimental. When it didn't open and she realized she was going to have to solve the riddle of the note, she decided the box could wait.

The bigger mystery came first.

----------------------------------------------

Bruce Wayne emerged from the Batcave. He was tired, hungry and could see by the look on Alfred's face that he was not going to be able to get a couple of hours of sleep before patrol.

The butler was standing in front of the Manor's hidden entrance to the Batcave with an expression that was both amused and concerned.

"You have a visitor, sir," he said evenly. "He is waiting in the library."

"Who?" Bruce asked with frustration in his voice.

"He says his name is Blindr," Alfred replied.

Bruce stared at Alfred waiting for the punch line. None came.

"'The blind one?' That is what he said?"

"Yes, sir," Alfred seemed mildly insulted.

"Blue cloak and one eye?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, sir," Alfred said. The tone suggested that Alfred also knew who their guest was.

"Alfred," Bruce said, forcing a light tone, "why is Odin in my library?"

"He did not confide in me, sir," Alfred replied.

Bruce swore quietly but with much enthusiasm. Alfred waited patiently before continuing.

"I have provided him with the best Scotch we have and a variety of hors d'œuvres. I informed him that dinner would be served after your arrival. I have arranged a bedroom for him should he require it."

"Thank you, Alfred. I would not want to appear to be a poor host to a Norse god. As usual, you make me look good."

"Of course, sir," said Alfred. "And if I may, I will go see to dinner."

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Alfred."

"It is truly my pleasure, sir," Alfred said warmly.

Bruce watched Alfred head to the kitchen. It occurred to Bruce that a variety of odd people had come into the Manor over the years but that probably the head of the Norse gods was among the highlights.

He walked towards the library door with the uncomfortable and extremely rare feeling of walking into a situation he knew nothing about. He paused for a moment at the library door, took a deep breath and opened it.

Bruce, being both tall and strong himself, was not easily intimidated by anyone's appearance. Odin nearly was an exception. Even reclining and drinking in front of the fireplace, Odin was clearly both taller and stronger than Bruce. When Odin heard Bruce enter the room, he turned towards the man, but did not smile.

Odin, Bruce recalled from what little he had read, had enjoyed traveling throughout the world stopping at peoples' houses and, in Bruce's opinion, testing them to see if they were good hosts. If they were, they were rewarded. If not, they weren't so much punished as ignored. There was a tendency for all the young women to be pregnant after he left whether the hosts were generous or not. However, in this case, Bruce had a nasty feeling Odin was at his final destination.

"Welcome Blindr," Bruce said. "I'm sorry I was not here when you arrived. But how can I assist you now?"

Odin considered him for a moment with his hard blue eye.

"What should I call you," Odin asked. "When you think of yourself, is it Bruce or Batman?"

The usual "I don't know what you're talking about" was on his tongue before it occurred to him that was probably not the right attitude to take with a god.

"I am not the only one known by more than one name," he responded instead, but still with some venom.

Odin smiled then. "That is true. You are dressed as Bruce so I will respect that. Bruce, you can assist me by telling me why you were on my island."

"That was unusually direct for you," Bruce said.

"Perhaps. Things are happening, Bruce, involving my people but without my knowledge. You are one of the few people who could understand my feelings. Do you know what would have happened if Atreus had told you the location of Blóta before he knew that the Amazons had been told first?"

"No," Bruce said.

"I would have made him immortal, immediately. And then I would have killed his children in front of him. Afterwards, I would have made him kill his wife. In other words, I would have taken away the present he loved and the future he was looking forward to. He is spared that because of the circumstances. I am telling you this because you must understand how important Blóta is to me."

Bruce said nothing. Odin continued.

"Now, I need to go to Zeus and demand an explanation. And no matter what he thinks about his wife, he is not going to punish Hera and he certainly is not going to allow me to do it. Which means war. I will fight them and I will win. But I do not relish the thought of going to war when I don't know why. Hera is not the reason for this, I am confident of that. I also suspect that the Greek behind it is working with one of us. And I will find and punish the one among us."

"I can't imagine that the gods could battle and Blóta could remain hidden," Bruce said. He finally sat down across from Odin in a matching leather recliner. Until then, he had been standing with his arms crossed across his chest.

Odin looked mournful. "No, they will come out of legend. I will simply have to move the island to a new location. It will take several hundred years, but they will sink back into myth."

Alfred politically knocked and announced dinner. The two followed him to the dining room as the conversation continued.

"I have said much," Odin said finally. "But you know my reasons. Now, I need you to speak and tell me what you know."

During the soup course, Bruce summed up his friendship with Atreus and his request to meet Diana.

When the steaks arrived, Bruce outlined the visits to Themyscira and Blóta. Odin, who had been eating with enthusiasm, was silent for several minutes after Bruce was done talking.

Finally, he looked at Bruce with a small smile.

"That was fact-filled and opinion-free. What do you think?"

Bruce looked back at Odin. "I was going to ask you what your conclusions were. You know the potential players better than I do."

Odin threw back his head and laughed. "I like you, Bruce Wayne. You have my protection. Of course, that doesn't impress you any more than I do."

Bruce smiled slightly and said nothing.

"But I want your opinion, mortal," Odin said firmly.

Alfred arrived with dessert and the two men ate in silence for a moment as they thought. Finally, Bruce answered.

"I think someone very smart has figured out a way to create a war. That entity created a situation where if the Berserkers and Amazons didn't start the battle and force the participation of the gods, then the gods were going to start the battle and force the participation of the Berserkers and Amazons. There has to be a reason – someone planned this too well for there not to be. I suspect you would know better than I what would be gained from the battle."

"But not Ragnarok," Odin replied as a statement of fact.

"I wouldn't be too quick to decide it isn't the end of the world," Bruce replied.

"The signs have not come," Odin answered. "So, I will survive this battle."

"How nice for you that you can say that," Bruce said.

Odin laughed again.

"I will discuss this with the others," Odin said. "I will come again, Bruce Wayne. Believe in me. And please, tell Alfred I would love to see what he can do with salmon."

With that, Odin disappeared. Bruce sat for a moment in reflection for activated the communicator that never left him.

"Batman to Wonder Woman," he said darkly.

A sleepy voice answered. "This is Wonder Woman. This better be good," she said.

Bruce smiled.

"Princess, you will not be disappointed," he said, darkly.

She paused for a minute. "Atreus?"

"Oh, better."

----------------------------------------------

AN:

It must be Friday, I am finished a chapter!

A quick thanks to **Browniesprite** for the edit on the previous chapter! And thanks for telling the pace is working – I thought I was going a little slowly but really have every intention of keeping this pace. However, by the end of the next chapter- the conversation with Ares and Loki will make a little more sense.


	8. Pieces Fall

Chapter 7: Pieces Fall

He had tricked her.

He had called her immediately about Odin and told her everything. But she didn't, she _couldn't_, believe that Atreus hadn't contacted Bruce after 24 hours.

Diana wanted to charge into the Batcave, accuse him of keeping her in the dark and demand answers. However, she had done that before and it ended in her not knowing any more than she did before. So, like any good warrior, she decided to change her strategy.

She put on her Wonder Woman armor and transported herself into the Batcave.

Batman was, as usual, sitting at his computer. It was several hours before patrol, so he was in his Batman costume but had not put his cowl on. She crept over to him – although she knew he heard her – and put him in a very loose head lock.

He reached around and wrapped one arm around her waist but when he felt the armor, she felt him stiffen under her.

"A business call, Princess?" he said, not hiding the disappointment.

Suddenly she remembered the box and the riddle. But rather than admit to something, she took a page out of his book.

"How's Atreus?" she asked gently.

"I saw him the same time you did," he answered.

"But I think you've spoken to him more recently than I," she said lightly.

In one swift move, he removed her arm and turned around in the chair so he was facing her.

"Princess, I am not going to waste my time updating you every little thing that happens. What Atreus and the council does, or does not do, is not the issue any longer. What Zeus and Odin are going to do is."

"Perhaps. But I really would like to be the judge of what I need to know," she said, hoping against hope that he would tell her something.

He said nothing and turned back around to the computer. However, based on his posture, Diana was confident that they were about to discuss what was actually on his mind.

"Both Athena and Odin said 'believe in me' at some point in their conversation with me. Now, with Odin, it fit into the conversation. With Athena, it didn't. There is a reason why they both said it."

Diana considered for a moment.

"But it doesn't make any sense," she said. "You've met them. You can't believe in them when you have proof of their existence. Unless…." She silenced herself as a reason occurred to her.

_Oh Hera, give me strength._

"Unless?" Batman prompted.

She paused for a moment while her thoughts formed. "Unless they want you to believe in their divinity. Their power. You don't. And you could do that while knowing that they exist."

"But what would that earn them?"

Diana sighed. "I don't know. But something. It must be something. And something important. And I believe it is behind this whole thing."

She sighed again. "I'll go talk to Ares," she said in a tone that suggested it was the last thing she wanted to do.

Batman turned to face her. "Do you think he'll tell you?"

She smiled. "Getting Ares to brag is not difficult."

----------------------------------------------

The meeting between Odin and Zeus went as Odin expected. Zeus claimed he knew nothing about the situation – that he had long ago realized that Blóta was more Norse than Greek and had removed his interest from the island. As to what Zeus' sister-wife might be up to, he also had long ago removed his interest.

Odin who had been seated across from Zeus in one of the major halls on Olympus, had requested that Hera be sent to his people for an interview regarding her divulging the location of Blóta. Zeus politely responded that it would be impossible.

"Then I must assume the worst," Odin replied. "And in agreement with the treaty we made when the island was first founded, the next time I see you will be the battle field."

Zeus sat up a little straighter and looked at Odin with a mix of respect and surprise. There had been no threat in Odin's voice, just a clear statement of fact.

Zeus considered for a moment. There was not a lot he was willing to do. Hera, as much as he viewed her as a massive irritant, was his family and deserved his protection. On the other hand, was he really about to authorize a war because he did nothing?

"Odin," he said gently. "You are wise. What do you think is actually going on?"

Odin smiled and recognized the compliment for what it was – a mix of truth and empty flattery. He was not about to let the flattery move him off the point. "I think Hera was encouraged to reveal something that she should not have revealed. I think whoever encouraged her wants a war. I think that deity is going to get his wish."

"You think Ares?" Zeus said.

"I think Ares, though your god of war, is not the only one among you who enjoys a violent conflict."

Zeus nodded. "You are certainly not wrong."

Odin stood. This conversation had ended several minutes ago. "I trust that should you discover something new, you will inform me. I will, naturally, do the same. Otherwise, you have three days to arrange for Hera to arrive at my hall. If that does not happen, I will come for her."

He left. Zeus was left alone with his feelings of anger and excitement.

He summoned Hera.

----------------------------------------------

Diana was preparing to go visit Ares with an iced mocha on the Watchtower. It was not that she was afraid of Ares. Quite the contrary. She just didn't want to go and decided that she would have a drink and then go see him.

Flash came breezing in with a newspaper which did catch Diana's notice. He sat down next to her and smiled.

"You must be feeling pretty good," he said lightly, pointing at the newspaper.

Diana looked at the page. The headline read simply "Worshippers Return to Basilica."

She grabbed the paper from Flash and read the blurb. Apparently, near the site of the ruins of Hera's temple in Paestum, Italy, a new temple to Hera was going to be built. The story suggested that Wonder Woman's call to Hera might be the primary reason for this development. A spokesperson for the temple said that recent Neopagan sects had seen a growth of popularity world-wide, especially Hellenistic Neopagan sects. The spokesperson clearly thought a new temple to Hera was logical.

Diana looked at Flash for a moment as all the pieces fell into place. She smiled at him.

"I do now. Thank you, Flash," she said and, mocha forgotten, she quickly left the cafeteria. Once in the hallway, she activated her communicator.

"Wonder Woman to Batman," she said.

"Busy," came the hard response.

"Not for this," she said, her excitement clear in her voice.

"And yet," he said. "Batcave. Thirty minutes," he said.

Diana considered for a moment. Perhaps she ought to talk to Ares before she meant with Bruce.

"Give me an hour," she said quickly.

"Thirty minutes or tomorrow, Princess."

She smiled. She was going to call his bluff.

"Tomorrow then. You contact me when you have some time. I have figured out the 'why' and perhaps by then, I'll know the 'who.'"

She could almost hear him smirk. "If you haven't heard from me by noon tomorrow, contact me," he said smoothly and disconnected the communicator.

She stood for a moment, stunned that he wasn't chomping at the bit to learn what she knew.

And then, Diana swore in a language most believed was dead.

----------------------------------------------

Ares and Aphrodite had just finished making love. They were lying entwined when Ares snuggled a little closer and whispered in her ear.

"We're happy, aren't we?" he said.

Aphrodite knew the strengths and weaknesses of her lover and therefore, knew a prepared speech when she heard one. However, she was interested to see what he was up to.

"Love makes one happy, so yes. But why?"

"I was at a small battle a while back and the Justice League arrived. Diana and her man, whatever his name is, were on opposite sides of the event. I wonder if they are content," he said.

Aphrodite contained her laughter. For all his faults off the battlefield, Ares would have noticed the emotional state of two people during a battle. Everything that is critical to victory in battle, Ares notices. She wondered if perhaps he was legitimately concerned, no matter how improbable it seemed.

"You think they need my influence to get them through the doldrums?" she asked innocently.

"Perhaps. I know you are so pleased with the match, I don't want you to suffer should it spoil."

Aphrodite was considering this when there was a knock at the door. The pair had been caught together once and had permanently moved their tryst indoors. Aphrodite sat up. Although her husband knew about the affair, she didn't wish to rub his face in it. Ares was less concerned and sighed loudly.

"Oh, what now?" he groaned as if anyone other than Aphrodite stopped by.

Frustrated that his attempt to convince Aphrodite to distract the Justice League members was interrupted, he threw on some clothes and stomped to the door. When he opened it, he was stunned to see Diana standing in the doorway. He stared at her for a moment.

"Ares, I have a question," she said, breaking the silence.

Fearful that Aphrodite might come to talk to her and thus ruin his plan, he stepped outside and closed the door.

"This is a bad time. What?" he demanded.

"How do gods get power?" she asked.

"The more worshippers, the more power," he said. "Is that it?"

She smiled which Ares took to be a sign that she was about to go away.

"Yes, thank you," she said and turned to leave. Just before Ares could slip back inside, Diana called back to him, "give Aphrodite my affection."

When Ares returned, Aphrodite was dressed, but she had clearly been considering what he had told her.

"I do not want to know what you are up to, my love," she said. "But I am proud of the match between Diana and her mortal, so I will give their affection a little boost. And I will go take care of that now."

Ares kissed her passionately. He couldn't wait to see Loki. It was time that trickster realized how critical he was to the team.

----------------------------------------------

AN:

There is nothing in mythology or any ancient work I can find that supports my presentation of Ares. Homer did present him as a bit cocky, but I have shaved a few IQ points off the god. For any Ares fans out there, I do apologize (I do expect a few nasty emails from Xena fans).

I am aware that in some of the Wonder Woman comics, Ares and Aphrodite are enemies. Their relationship is actually well documented in mythology and by Homer, so I have maintained that.


	9. Her Wisdom

Chapter 8: Her Wisdom

Bruce woke up feeling not quite right. Granted his shoulder was a little sore from an incident from the previous night's patrol but a hot shower would take care of that. He sat in bed for a moment, trying to figure out what was wrong. A voice in his head was screaming at him, but it was muffled somehow and he couldn't understand it. He knew that was a bad, bad sign.

Then he realized what the problem was and activated his communicator.

"Batman to Wonder Woman," he said.

"Wonder Woman here," the angelic voice responded.

The voice in his head got louder but not clearer. He started to ignore it. He missed Diana and he wanted to see here. There was nothing wrong with that.

"You wanted to talk to me about something yesterday. I have some time now."

"I do as well," she said.

Bruce had been in the process of getting out of bed and had his back to the door. Her response, however, had a strange echo and without turning around, knew she was standing in the doorway. What he hadn't anticipated was the seductive smile on her face. They both disconnected their communicators.

"This is a welcome surprise," he said as he walked over and embraced her.

"I needed to borrow a book," she said smoothly. "And I realized I missed you. I decided to see if you had the book I needed."

Again, the voice in his head was screaming at him but not making any sense. Bruce knew he should go someplace quiet until he knew what was going on, but Diana was standing there in a pair of grey yoga pants and a white tunic, which on her was the most stunning outfit imaginable.

He kissed her hard, which she returned with at least as much passion. When they finally separated, he whispered "did I?" in her ear.

She kept her arms locked around his neck but leaned back just far enough that she could look in his eyes.

"You did," she said softly.

"What did you want to tell me?" he asked.

"It can wait," she said suggestively.

He chuckled but then struggled to focus. "You were proud of yourself earlier. What did you discover?"

"It can wait," she repeated and then began to nibble on his earlobe.

The voice in his head was suddenly silent.

----------------------------------------------

Alfred had, during his time at the Wayne Manor, seen Bruce under the influence of, he suspected, nearly everything. Gases, powders, liquids, spells and countless other things had impacted Bruce's actions. And, if there was one sound now, after all those years, that chilled Alfred's blood, it was the sound of Bruce giggling.

He was.

Alfred, after showing Diana to the staircase _several_ hours before, had been across the hall going about the business of maintaining a house the size of Wayne Manor. And he had heard it. Diana had laughed and then Bruce giggled.

He didn't care what was going on in there. Bruce Wayne did not giggle. Laugh, yes. Guffaw, certainly. Chuckle, of course. But never, since the boy's parents had died did Bruce Wayne, under his own power, giggle.

So Alfred went to the kitchen.

Years ago, Bruce had sat down with Alfred and told the butler that he needed to be on the lookout for strange behavior. If ever there was a situation where Alfred thought that Bruce might not be completely under control but for some reason was not in a position to pay attention, Alfred was to offer "tea and assorted sandwiches."

The logic was simple. If Bruce was with someone, the sandwiches were a friendly gesture. If Bruce was alone, Alfred knew Bruce well enough that an assortment of food was just a waste and completely unlike Alfred.

Alfred had never used it before. But Diana had acted out of sorts when she appeared at the door and told Alfred she was there to borrow a book and maybe surprise Bruce. It was the first time she had arrived at the Manor uninvited without being angry.

A few minutes later, Alfred was holding a tray and standing in front of Bruce's bedroom door. He took a deep breath and knocked.

"Master Bruce?"

"Yes, Alfred?" Bruce said, the irritation clear in his voice.

"I thought you might need some refreshment. I brought tea and assorted sandwiches for you."

Even behind the closed door, Alfred could feel a change in the air as Bruce caught the message. "Good idea Alfred. I'll be right there."

Alfred stood quietly and listened to the sound of shuffling. Diana opened the door, fully dressed and smiling warmly. Bruce stood a few feet behind her.

"Alfred?" he asked.

"You were giggling, sir," he explained.

Diana, clearly understanding she was missing something, looked back at Bruce.

"You don't giggle," she said.

"No, I don't," he answered, keeping his eyes on Alfred.

"But you were, sir," Alfred said firmly.

"He's right," Diana said. "You were."

"I don't giggle," Bruce said flatly.

"Exactly, sir," Alfred said.

Alfred watched as the realization hit Diana. She was still looking at Bruce.

"Did you wake up missing me?" she asked him seriously.

"Why?" Bruce asked.

"Because I woke up missing you. I spent some time figuring out the riddle you left me as an excuse to come see you. I mean, I really needed to see you this morning."

"You don't usually need to see me? I may be hurt, Princess."

She waved that comment off and turned to Alfred. "So, I wasn't acting right, either, was I?"

"I would never assume to comment on your behavior," he answered stiffly.

"No," Bruce said. "Only mine. So, Aphrodite thought we needed a love jolt. Princess, your gods are beginning to piss me off."

Alfred suppressed a smile.

"But bring the sandwiches in, Alfred. I'm hungry," Bruce said. "And you, Princess, need to stand about five feet away from me until this wears off."

"Five feet?" she said.

"Close enough that I can see you, but far enough away that I can't touch you."

At that, Alfred put the tray down and excused himself. There were some things he just didn't want to know.

----------------------------------------------

Grabbing a sandwich, Bruce sat down on the bed and took a deep breath and several bites before speaking. The voice in his head was clear now and his thoughts were not completely obsessed with Diana.

"So, how many worshippers does Ares think he needs?" he asked.

Diana looked at him, the disappointment clear in her face.

"Why do I try to surprise you?" she asked.

He smirked. "I would have thought you would have given up on that by now."

Rather than answer, she grabbed a sandwich.

"So, the question is, who is he working with on the Norse side?" she said.

"Odin doesn't know," Bruce responded. "But you think you do."

"There is only one major figure that the Norse have that the Greeks don't."

"Well, Princess, all of your gods are tricksters. A trickster god would be redundant."

She smiled at him. "Loki isn't worshipped."

"So how does he have any power if Ares is right?"

"Exactly. But Ares thinks he is right."

Bruce smiled and took another bite. He was enjoying himself but the mental exercise was clearly working on reducing the impact of Aphrodite's work.

"So Loki is using Ares. To what end?" he asked.

"Well, think about it," she said between bites. "He has spent, well, a very long time, bound by the entrails on his murdered son as punishment for killing Odin's son. Let's figure he hasn't been out long enough for Odin to notice. Ares is easy enough to find. He convinces Ares that a battle between the gods over Blóta would be The Battle. Loki thinks it is going to be Ragnarök which he is destined to bring about anyway. That means nothing to Ares because it won't impact him. But Loki won't help unless Ares promised to make Loki a Greek god."

Bruce listened. Diana was beginning to get excited now.

"Of course," she continues, "Ares probably can't deliver on that promise, but Loki isn't up on my gods to know that. If he works with another gods, Loki is hoping that he can succeed in killing off the Norse gods and preserve himself. If he becomes a Greek god, then the Norse tradition doesn't apply to him."

"So the end of the Norse world doesn't apply to him."

Diana smiled. "Exactly. Ragnarök means 'Fate of the Gods.' I think Loki is banking on that difference."

He considered. That was the nearly the conclusion he had come to.

"So the signs of Ragnarök' s approach are wrong?" he asked finally. That, in his mind, was the huge hole in the argument.

Diana sighed. "I know. I have problems with that too. I mean, we would notice if mountains shook to the ground, even if they weren't world wide. And the sun getting eaten – we would notice that too."

She lapsed into silence, thinking.

"Loki isn't trying to kill the Norse gods," he said finally. "He actively doesn't want them dead."

"No?" Diana said.

"No. He wants to be the head god. He is tired of not being worshipped. He is going to force the Greek and Norse gods to acknowledge them as their new head. He is, basically, working on a merger."

Diana looked at him with an expression of serious doubt.

"The number of worshipers isn't the only road to power, or Loki would have none. I understand he has been confined but people know about him. So, there has to be more to it. There has to be a combination of the rank among the gods and the number of stories you appear in as well as worshippers."

Diana glared at him. "You just turned my religion into a math equation."

Bruce ignored her and continued. "Loki knows Ares can't deliver on his promise. He just doesn't care. In fact, he is going to use that as the reason to betray Ares."

----------------------------------------------

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Flash said loudly. "Okay. Look. Start that all over again, this time, remembering that some of us only believe in one god and totally confuse Loki with that African trickster god. You know, the spider guy."

Even with the cowl on and his eyes masked, Batman managed to project massive amounts of disgust towards the Speedster. Diana, who had been the one presenting at the League Founders meeting paused.

"Ah," she said, pausing for a moment while she considered. She knew Flash was smart. But, as he had pointed out to her once, what he knew about Greek and Norse gods came from his college "Comparative Mythology" class and he had mistakenly thought he wouldn't need to remember much of it after the final exam.

"Loki wants to weaken both the Norse gods and the Greek gods to a point where he can force them to merge into one unit that he heads. The only thing those two groups of gods have in common is Blóta. Does that make sense?"

"As much as anything ever does around here," Flash responded with a smile.

"Loki is tricking Ares to help him accomplish this. Ares is tricking some other Greek gods into helping him help Loki." Diana asked.

"This is where I get lost," Flash said. "Loki is the bad guy. I've got that. And he wants to take over the world. I've got that too. But is Ares a bad guy too or just a pawn?"

"I think he just wants a big battle," Diana replied.

"And how are they going to convince everyone to Blóta?" Flash replied.

Diana looked at Batman who was sitting in his usual spot across the table from her. Only Green Lantern had noticed that away from the table, the pair were keeping an usual distance from one another. It seemed as if there was an exact measurement

"Loki is going to work it out so that when Amazonian delegation arrives to say hello, he invades it. That will be the Greeks down to fight. The rest of the Norse gods will see the Greeks attacking and come in to protect the island. No one will know what exactly is going on until it is too late," Batman said smoothly.

"When does the delegation arrive?" Superman asked, participating for the first time since turning the meeting over to Wonder Woman.

"Mother has not picked a day," Diana responded. "I suspect however, it will be quite soon."

Superman nodded. "How many League members do you need?" he asked.

"None," Batman replied.

The rest of the League members looked stunned.

"One of two things will happen," Diana said since she knew Batman wasn't going to explain. "The Amazons and the Berserkers will be able to contain it on the island in which case we don't need League members there or it is going to start flowing off the island, in which case, we need League members containing it. In either event, we don't need League members on Blóta."

"Enough people think you're gods," Batman said coolly. "Fighting a bunch of them will only make it worse. I would rather be forgotten by history than become one of Superman's original disciples."

The Man of Steel glared at Batman while Green Lantern tried unsuccessfully to suppress a laugh.

"So, what exactly might spill off the island?" Flash asked.

Diana smiled. "Giants, dwarves, wolves, Amazons, Berserkers, gods."

Flash smiled. "Armies of the undead?"

"If Odin brings his, yes," Diana responded, clearly missing the more modern reference. "Oh, Loki has one too, I think. But he'll probably have a mostly giant army."

"Let me get this straight, there is a huge fight with undead soldiers and giants for ultimate power. Did anyone else read that trilogy?" Flash asked. "Or seen the movie?"

"Yes," Batman answered. "And the same myths that Tolkien read."

Flash blushed a little.

"Well, Diana needs to go see her mother and I need to go organize a Berserker army, so unless you need us, I think we will leave the meeting to the rest of you," Bruce said and without waiting for an answer, walked out. Green Lantern noticed that Diana did follow, several feet to one side.

----------------------------------------------

AN:

I figured I would let Flash point out that giants, dwarves and armies of the undead was going to sound like Tolkien's Fellowship of the Ring well before the actually battle. Tolkien was a huge myth reader and used a lot of elements of Norse mythology in his work. I am not trying to take anything away from Tolkien by pointing this out nor am I, in any way, trying to put myself in the same category as Tolkien. However, since we are using some of the same source material, I thought I would just come forward with the obvious similarities.

This is the second "low action" chapter in a row and I promise the next chapter will have some action.


	10. Clouds on the horizon

Chapter 9: Clouds on the horizon

There is an ash tree, Yggdrasil, whose branches and roots grow through the nine worlds of the Norse. The Nords, or fates, are charged, among other things, with caring for the tree. They use water from a well located several feet from where the Norse gods meet daily to discuss issues.

On this day, the day before Odin had demanded Hera be sent to them, the gods were discussing what they would do when Hera didn't arrive. No one actually thought she would appear. It was clear what they all wanted to do, namely attack Olympus and pull her out. But there were several millennium of prescient of not interfering with the work of other gods that made them wary. And if they did indulge in an attack, did some stay behind in case another group of gods decided to attack the Norse world? And who would willingly stay away?

But the insult, less than 24 hours away from occurring, could not go unanswered.

"How quickly can you assemble your army?" Thor asked. The god of battle was ready to fight.

Odin smirked. "My army is ready now. When they leave Valhalla, I will tell the Valkyries to stop gathering fallen warriors until after the battle."

He looked at Freyja who received half of the dead warriors.

Freyja, the goddess of beauty, love and death smiled. "My army also is ready to leave their home in Fólkvangr."

Odin, who had sacrificed his eye for wisdom shook his head. "Someone wants us to do this. It bothers me still that I do not know who and why."

Thor groaned. He did not share Odin's appreciation of information. "I want us to do this. I am tired of talking about it. Let's go now. Let's attack them now."

Freyja looked at Thor. "Patience," she said softly. "We need grounds to attack. We prepare our forces, we give them 24 hours past the deadline and then we attack."

Odin considered for a moment. "That is fair."

Thor groaned.

"With the additional time," Odin considered, "I can get the Blótans to join us."

Thor laughed. _That_ plan was good.

----------------------------------------------

Diana thanked Athena for her foresight. The safe passage to Themyscira document, which she was carrying again, had no references to dates. As far as Diana could tell, she would have nearly unlimited access to her mother and her home.

She had spent about an hour with Bruce working on separating themselves without suffering from Aphrodite's spell. A mix of the meditation she had done for years and some mental exercises that Bruce knew and she was managing to keep the longing to a dull ache. It faded even more as she saw Themyscira come into view. For the pain it had caused her, it was a beautiful place and she loved it.

She wondered sadly why she wasn't more excited by the potential the safe passage document presented.

When she arrived on the island, there seemed to be an abnormal level of activity. But they certainly weren't preparing for war. Had Diana not known what was going on, she would have been hard pressed to figure out what they were doing.

_They are getting ready to visit Blóta_, she thought.

She found her mother who was standing in the center of a group of Amazons who were discussing the appropriate number and variety of gifts they ought to bring.

"Mother!" Diana called loudly over the chatter.

"My moon and stars!" Hippolyta said, the joy in her voice clear. "What goddess do I thank for your presence?"

Diana smiled for a second. "Mother, I need to talk to you. Ares is trying to start a war."

The queen of the Amazons smiled. "Darling, Ares is _always_ trying to start a war. Hera and a group of us are on a peaceful mission to Blóta. There is no danger anywhere in that."

"But there is, Mother," Diana stressed. "Ares is working with the Norse. When you visit Blóta, the Norse will attack."

Hippolyta gave Diana a look only mothers can give their children – a look mixed with affection, humor and doubt.

"Diana, Ares barely works with our gods. I cannot believe that he would be working with the Norse. But even if he is, it is our duty to go to Blóta and inform our sisters there of the possibilities."

Diana was always honest but she usually considered her words before she spoke. Something about the close proximity of her mother kept her from self-editing.

"Mother, they won't go with you," she said. "They have a chance at a life with a loving man who sees her as an equal, scores of children, training as an Amazon and an extremely long life. What can you offer?"

Diana!" Hippolyta barked. She turned to the women working around her who were pretending very hard not to be listening. "Leave us!"

The women walked out, giving Diana the same look of stunned disbelief. Once only the mother and daughter remained, the queen spoke again.

"Exile as changed you more than I suspected," she said sharply. "I have no one to blame but myself. However, the law has not changed and your exile cannot change either. Diana, I will give those women options. You spent, what, a day on the island? Did you talk to the young women who perhaps don't want marriage and children? No. You didn't walk freely among them. You see Blóta as a blend of the good in Man's World and here. But you are the only soul who has lived, willingly and successfully, in both places. Let our Blótan sisters have their own perspective and their own idea of the perfect life."

"Mother," Diana started.

"No, let me finish," Hippolyta interrupted. "I wonder how much of your opinion of Blóta is based on your relationship. If you weren't in love, would there be anything in Man's World bringing you happiness?"

"Yes," Diana said quickly. "I have friends of both genders. I have a purpose. I am protecting the good. I _help_. Man's World is flawed but it is not loveless. There are more good men than you think, Mother."

"Perhaps. But there are men capable of unspeakable evil. You work to stop them and I am proud of that. And you. You are unique, in your power, your life and your courage. That you assume everyone has your honesty and bravery is one of your many strengths but I fear that one day you will be betrayed."

Hippolyta sighed, the concern bright in her eyes. Diana smiled tenderly and gave her mother a hug.

"I wish you could come home, my sun and stars," the Queen of the Amazons said warmly.

"I know," Diana responded.

Hippolyta nearly asked a question but realized she didn't want the answer – either "yes" or "no" would break her heart. And it wouldn't change anything.

"Go, my child," Hippolyta said softly, without breaking the embrace. "We will be prepared for whatever happens. I look forward to seeing you on the battlefield, if that is the will of the gods."

The two women squeezed harder for a moment and then separated. They said brief farewells and then went their separate ways.

Diana walked to the javelin with a cheer she hadn't felt for a while. For the first time since her exile, she felt a sense of closure with the situation.

However, she broke down and cried when the safe passage document disappeared.

----------------------------------------------

Bruce Wayne looked at Alfred, clearly annoyed. The two men were standing in the foyer of Wayne Manor. He had just gotten an update from Diana and knew what he needed to do. How to go about it was the problem.

"Sir, I suspect your idea, no matter how foolish you think it might be, is your best option," Alfred said.

Bruce frowned. "I suspect you are right. Well, here goes nothing."

He moved to the middle of the foyer, closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Oh great and mighty Odin, I have news I wish to share with you. I humbly request that you honor me and my home with your presence so that I can share it."

He paused and was about to start again when he heard Alfred gasp.

Then he heard a familiar booming voice. "Close enough," it said warmly.

Bruce opened his eyes and straightened. Odin was once again in his home. He was about to welcome the god, when Odin cocked his head to one side and looked at him critically.

"What have they?" Odin started. "Oh, never mind." He muttered a phrase in an ancient language and snapped his fingers. Bruce nearly fell – Odin had removed Aphrodite's spell and he had not realized how much mental energy he was using to keep the desperate need for Diana at bay.

"I was handling that," he snarled.

"Yes, I am quite impressed," Odin said with just a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "You were not a drooling idiot without your woman here." He paused. "Don't say it, Bruce Wayne. I like you, but not that much. Just tell yourself I did it for your woman, I've released her too."

Bruce held his tongue not entirely sure which of the several responses in his head had been offensive to the god.

"Shall we go to the library, Bruce? I think you have much to tell me." Odin didn't wait for an answer; he just walked confidentially to the library. On the way, he nodded at Alfred, who bowed slightly.

Bruce was not sure how he felt about the god clearly making himself at home.

Once settled, it only took a few minutes for Bruce to outline the situation. As he spoke, he watched the chef god grow angrier with each revelation. When Bruce was done, Odin sat silently for a moment and then roared.

Bruce had smirked at an enraged Superman, he had scoffed at the anger of hundreds of other beings – human and not. But the roar of Odin resulted in a first.

Bruce flinched. Almost imperceptivity. But Bruce knew it had happened.

Odin took a deep breath and looked around at the various items that had fallen during his outburst.

"Loki is out then," he said. "I look forward to a chance to defeat him on the battlefield. I also enjoy looking for a material to bind him with that will be more effective." He looked at Bruce.

"I was going to Blóta to recruit my Berserkers for another matter. This has changed things. You need to go to Blóta to prepare them while I prepare my army. Loki will not succeed."

Bruce nodded. He was planning on leaving for Blóta once his conversation with Odin was over. He was willing to humor Odin as to where the idea came from.

Odin stood. "I thank you for this information and I will reward you. I would give you the power of the Berserker but you don't want physical power. So, I will tell you something that not even all the Blótans know."

He leaned over and whispered to Bruce, despite being the only two in the room and then disappeared.

Bruce smiled and went to the Batcave.

_That was something worth knowing._

----------------------------------------------

"It is time," Loki said simply. Ares smiled.

"The Amazons will arrive at sunrise on Blóta. Odin and his fools are preparing to invade Olympus tomorrow. The Olympians are going to be caught unaware and the one that Odin comes for is with the Amazons. I suspect that by mid-day, we will be fully engaged on Blóta. By this time tomorrow, the Blótans will worship you and I will have a home on Olympus."

"Perfect. Tomorrow is going to be a good day," Ares said merrily. He was looking forward to it. The Blótans would worship him, he would 'save' Hera from both Loki's and Odin's armies, defeat Loki and return him to the Norse. He would move up in Zeus' affection, become more powerful on Olympus and have allies among the Norse, who were nearly as hungry for war as he was. The plan was flawless.

"It will be," Loki agreed. Tomorrow was going to be wonderful. He was going to stomp Odin's army into submission, he was going to end the slow return to glory by the Greeks, he was going to force that stupid Amazonian princess to recognize him as a god and then he was going to devise some perfectly horrific punishment for Ares. The plan was flawless.

----------------------------------------------

AN: I know the build up is getting a bit out of hand. The battle is in two chapters. My thanks to all of those who are sticking with me!


	11. His Strength

Chapter 10: His Strength

Atreus was clearly pleased to see Batman. He gave his friend a friendly smack on the back. 

"Can you smell it?" Atreus asked with barely contained excitement. "Battle is coming. I've felt the charge in the air for several hours now. By this time tomorrow, you and I will be fighting side by side."

Batman looked at him. "Forgive me if I don't share your enthusiasm."

Atreus laughed. "I forget that you aren't one of us."

Batman glared at him. "I don't"

Atreus laughed again. "Well, my friend, that's fine. Let's talk strategy."

Atreus clapped his arm around Batman's shoulder and directed him towards his home. 

"Should we wait for Princess Diana?" Atreus asked.

"Yes, she can discuss how the Amazons can be used much better than anyone else I know."

Atreus looked serious for a moment. "You do know that pure Amazons don't marry, don't you? I don't want you have expectations that will not be met."

Batman froze in his tracks and looked at Atreus for a moment. "You are trying to protect _me_ in this relationship? That may be a first. And why don't they marry?"

Atreus frowned. "My understanding is that they don't believe that a man could possibly prove to be useful or interesting enough for an entire lifetime. I understand that an Amazon can petition one of the gods to give up her immortality and share a mortal life with a mate, but it hasn't happened since this island was created."

"Ah, I did not know that," Batman said honestly. He did not add that he had never thought about it enough to ask. 

"I understand, of course, why you desire her but for a lifelong mate, I suggest your turn your eye elsewhere."

"I don't know, Atreus. She is the only woman I've met who hasn't tried to discover the loving, tender man she is convinced is beneath my cold insensitive exterior. She is comfortable with the fact that I am an insensitive jackass to the core."

Atreus nodded somberly. "That is important." Then he grinned. "Because you are a jackass."

Batman nodded in agreement. But then realized he had found something concrete to hate about Blóta – everyone thought people were happier married. Time to nip this in the bud and get Atreus refocused on the important things. Like the army of giants on its way.

"Atreus, I don't know that I ever want to get married. I don't know that I have a 'life mate.' I can barely get along with myself."

Atreus looked stunned and then opened his mouth to speak. Batman cut him off.

"And if you tell me I haven't found the right woman yet, Berserker or not, I will punch you in the jaw," he growled.

Atreus smiled.

"I hope we both survive tomorrow; you make me laugh," he said and the two continued their walk.

"That would be nice," Batman agreed darkly. 

----------------------------------------------

"But you can't _fl_y," Diana said tersely.

Diana, Batman, Atreus and two of Atreus' main warriors had been meeting for about an hour and had gotten nowhere in terms of planning. They were standing over a three-dimensional map of the island that had been built into what was otherwise a decorative table in the Fairhair house. They had all agreed that they could not count on being able to direct Odin's army nor any of the Greek gods that might join the fray. After that, agreement had been impossible.

Diana believed that the Themysciran Amazons should serve as the first line of defense in the air. They could, she pointed out, serve as scouts as well as fighters, alerting the lines behind them as to what was coming. The Blótans thought that the first line should be of their people and that the "pure" Amazons could not be counted on to protect the island with the ferocity of those who loved there but if they wanted to fly around and be scouts, that would be acceptable. Diana had clearly been offended by the idea that her sisters might not be reliable. The notion that they should just be scouts had nearly resulted in blows between Diana and Atreus' men. Atreus and Batman had broken it up. Diana's comment was made just as everyone was returning to the map.

"We have some planes," Nestor Jossong replied quickly.

"And how quickly to they respond consider that our enemy can disappear and rematerialize elsewhere?" Diana snapped.

"How does flying solve that?" Iason Gunnarsdotter asked.

"Diana is right," Batman said. "Unless the planes can be controlled by brainwaves, we ought to just leave them where they are. We need quick reaction times. I think we are going to violate the maximum occupant number for this island. We don't need big machinery."

Atreus nodded. 

"All right, let's take this back a few steps," he said. "The Amazon delegation will be about what, 15?"

Diana nodded.

"Okay. We've got about 21 people under the age of 16 who will not fight. We've got 14 women who are more than three months pregnant and got 22 people over the age of 650 who will be charged with the defense of the ones under 16 and the women too pregnant to fight. That gives us 455 warriors, including the delegation members, Batman and Princess Diana who will be directly involved in the fight. If we treat the village as the square, we need four divisions on the ground. Put the Amazons in the air and out beyond inhabited area to serve as a front line and scouts, that means we've got more than 100 people per division."

Every one nodded. 

"How many communicators can you provide?" Atreus asked the League members.

"Enough to equip all the airborne and the division leaders," Diana answered quickly.

"And me?" Atreus asked.

"Twenty? Yes. We can do that," Diana replied. 

Batman looked at her but didn't comment. She was playing fast and loose with the Justice League communicators which meant he was going to have to find a place to bury the purchase of more of them in the Wayne Enterprise budget. He shrugged mentally, it was for a good cause. 

"Good. Iason and Nestor will serve as two division heads. Rhea will head up the archers – she is checking supplies now," Atreus paused and then swore loudly. "Minta is in her third trimester, isn't she?" he asked after a moment.

Nestor nodded in agreement.

"Minta is a born leader. Elpis could do it, but I want her with the archers, she is more talented there. Helen needs to be with one of the divisions as a healer," Atreus looked at Batman.

"I know you prefer to work alone, but would you lead a division?" he asked. 

"It would be an honor Atreus, but your warriors don't have time to learn to trust me," he said.

"No, you're right. I'll head the fourth division. You are going to run the whole battle," Atreus said firmly.

"Maybe you didn't understand what I meant by the trust issue," Batman said.

"I need someone who isn't going to be Berserk," Atreus said. "It's been a long time since I've been involved in a real battle. I can lead warriors into the fight but unless I am going to give up power, a Blótan can't run the whole thing. You'll be calm in the battle. You need to do this."

Batman nodded. Atreus was right. 

With a wave of his hand, Atreus turned over the meeting over to Batman. Five minutes later, the battle plan was complete. 

It actually was flawless.

----------------------------------------------

"I still need to talk to Rhea about what I can expect from your archers," Batman said to Atreus as the two of them left the Fairhair home. 

Atreus nodded and gestured to the right just before turning in that direction. Batman followed. 

Diana had left a few moments before to fly over the island, looking at it from a strategic viewpoint and getting the communicators from the Watchtower. She would be back later that night. 

The two men were about thirty yards from the archery area, walking past a large training field filled with people when Atreus' son, Bion, raced up to them, screaming, with his eyes an unnatural color of green.

"Bion, get back to your lesson!" Atreus barked.

Batman grabbed Bion by his tunic collar and pulled him to eye level.

"Stopp krigare! Du har vinna!" he said firmly to the child.

Bion's eyes returned to their normal color and he shook his head as if trying to gather his bearings. Batman returned him to the ground, gave him a pat on the back in the direction of the training field and continued heading towards the archery area as the boy did what his father had instructed.

Atreus stood, dumbfounded for a moment. "Odin be praised," he said in awe and fell into step besides his friend.

"How did you do that?" Atreus asked when he caught up with Batman. 

"How do you stop someone in Berkserk mode?" Batman replied.

"We, ah, defend ourselves until he burns through it," Atreus answered.

Batman smirked. Stopping a Berserker passively was apparently something that _none_ of the Blótans knew.

_Odin be praised, indeed._

Because tomorrow he was going to be dealing with hundreds of them.

----------------------------------------------

It took several hours, but finally, not long after sunset, Batman had spoken to everyone and explained the parts of the plan they needed to know. The village was buzzing. Some were preparing the young, elderly and pregnant to move to the largest house on the island. Those who were going to fight were dividing into their divisions and arming themselves. The weather was mild so everyone fighting was going to sleep armed and more or less in position. Batman figured that once the Amazonian delegation landed, they would have less than 10 minutes before the invasion began.

There was nothing for Batman to do. Diana had distributed the communicators and left to await the arrival of the Amazonian delegation. 

So, he went searching.

He found her where he would have waited - in the foothills of the mountains where it was still warm so that she could doze but at enough of an altitude that she would be quickly alerted to their arrival. She was facing the village, however, rather than towards Themyscira. 

She looked up at him when he approached and patted the rock next to her.

"Is everything ready?" she asked.

"I think so. I am not sure how the fact that the world's best warriors haven't actually fought a war for at least a millennia plays into the equation," he said. He paused for a moment. "And what are you thinking, Princess, up here in the mountains?"

She smiled but turned her head back towards the village. "I was thinking that I like this island. It appeals to me on many levels. Perhaps because it is a lot like Themyscira but it actually welcomes me. Or because it presents itself as the perfect blend of my home and Man's World. And tomorrow, I am going to help destroy it. To protect it. To protect their way of life, their gods and mine, I am going to help level this place."

She looked at him. "I'm not sure how I feel about that. It will be a glorious fight. But I will mourn Blóta."

Not having a response, he kissed her passionately. They spent several hours together before he returned to the village. 

----------------------------------------------

At about an hour before sunrise, Diana intercepted the Amazonian delegation as they came over the horizon. By the time they had entered Blótan air space, Diana had explained the situation.

The Amazons clearly doubted the impended battle, but they willingly followed Diana to the center of the village where Batman and the division leaders awaited them. 

"Where's Hera?" Batman barked.

"She comes momentarily," the Queen replied.

"Then the clock starts," he said coldly.

Atreus and Hippolyta formally greeted each other. Atreus introduced the division leaders while Hippolyta introduced the entire delegation. Once done, the Amazons fell back alongside their princess.

Diana turned to him. "I will get into position then," she said. She bit her lip as if there was something she wanted to say but didn't risk it.

"Whatever happens," she said finally, looking Batman in the eye. "It has been an honor serving with you."

"And you," she said, bowing her head at Atreus. He returned the gesture.

She locked eyes with Batman for another moment and then turned to fly away. Before taking off, he watched as she refocused her thoughts from him to the upcoming battle.

_She doesn't expect to survive_, he thought and realized that in his experience, she had never thought that before.

He quickly suppressed the chill in his heart. He didn't have time for it. He had noticed that the Amazons, in the air, were all bowing.

_Hera is here_, he thought and mentally started the countdown.

----------------------------------------------

AN: If my translation is right, Batman told Bion "Stop, warrior! You have won!" in Swedish. If anyone knows for sure, please correct me. I was using an online translator. 

Thank you to all my reviewers! You have all been so wonderful! 


	12. It All Comes to This

Chapter 11: It All Comes to This

Chapter 11: It All Comes to This

Thor attacked first.

Eight minutes after Batman started the clock.

Restless and unable to find Odin, he got on his chariot pulled by his goats Tanngrisni and Tanngnost went to Blóta to see how the recruitment was going.

Thor, even after the days when Odin required a human sacrifice were over, was fairly popular on Blóta because of his protection of farmers. The Blótans might see themselves as warriors first – and therefore most loyal to Odin – but they did not delude themselves on their day-to-day lifestyle. So, Thor expected a warm welcome.

What he found instead was Hera. She was standing among a group of Amazons, clearly waiting for something. Whatever it was, Thor knew it wasn't his arrival. He would surprise them and take Hera. The thrill of the hunt made him smile.

But Diana had seen him coming over the horizon and had pushed the other Amazons into a protective shield around Hera. She had spent the last several days thinking about and preparing for a battle and her adrenaline levels were high. Facing Thor was something she wanted to do on her own. The others could protect Hera and convince her that she was not in a safe place.

She was on her way to intercept when Thor roared. Diana got a new appreciation for why he was worshipped as the god of thunder.

She replied with a battle cry of her own and managed to block him before he could throw Mjolnir, his hammer. Mjolnir, created by dwarves in a challenge, would never miss, and no matter how far he threw it, the hammer would always return to his hand.

But it never left his hand, because Diana's bracelet blocked the way. Her other hand was busy punching him in the jaw.

The sound of both collisions echoed across the valley, but the next sound those with communicators heard, was a bit more frightening.

"We've got giants coming over the mountains," Melina, one of the Amazonian delegation announced. "But we convinced Hera to leave."

Silently thanking Hera and appealing to her for strength, Diana kept one arm blocking Mjolnir and spun Thor to face the mountains.

"Loki is coming!" she screamed at him. "Go, Giant-killer. And bring Odin and all of Valhalla back with you!"

"Not without Hera," he yelled back.

"She's gone!" Diana replied with equal force. "And Blóta needs you now!"

Atreus' voice came over the communicator. "There are wolves coming," he said simply.

Melina's voice came back instantly. "I don't see them."

"They are there," Atreus said.

Diana did not know how Thor heard them over the communicator, but he must have, or perhaps he too sensed the unseen wolves and realized the extent of the upcoming fight. Suddenly, Thor laughed. It was a joyful sound. It was the sound of someone who loved war and battle and blood shed. It was someone who saw sport in what was about to happen on Blóta. Part of Diana was disgusted by his excitement at the upcoming destruction, although another part of her also howled with delight.

"I will go," he said warmly. "But save some for me!"

And with that, he and his chariot disappeared.

The howl of wolves grabbed her attention and hovering in the air, she took a moment to look towards the mountains.

The giants were pouring over the mountain in such a number that the individual giants were impossible to distinguish. The wolves now were coming in what little space was left. The giants were nearly as tall as the mountains they crossed and, in fact, they were appearing behind them and stepping over them the way Diana might step over a fallen log. They were armed with swords, axes and other weapons that were both longer and wider than Diana was tall. It was an awe-inspiring sight.

_Oh Hera, give me strength. _

"Time for the first group," Batman said through the communicator. "Keep them moving."

For the most part, Batman's strategy acknowledged that the training methods the Blótans used were several centuries old. However, warfare had come a long way and he was not going to ignore the possibilities.

"Are you ready, Princess?" Atreus asked.

"Yes indeed," Diana answered. "I'll see you in the middle."

And with that, a small group of Blótans, led by Atreus, and a small group of Amazons, led by Diana, attacked. The goal was to attack the edges, weave into the middle if possible and just irritate the enemy into moving faster to get to the "real" battle. It was guerilla warfare at its most basic.

Diana and Atreus had been looking forward to it.

--

Since he first learned to control the Berserker, Atreus had never completely turned himself over to its power. There was simply not enough of a battle to warrant the loss of control.

That wasn't a problem in this case. After disconnecting with Diana, he pulled out his sword and used it to wave his warriors forward. Then he took down the mental barriers that kept the Berserker at bay.

He felt as if his senses had gotten a tune-up. The smell of the giants and the wolves became stronger and easier to separate. The sound of the warriors behind him was booming and the colors of the enemy as they rolled across the mountain and onto the plain were vibrant.

He attacked, knowing exactly where his warriors were as he slashed and spun and began to unleash upon his foe.

It was wonderful. He was so calm. It felt so natural to simply hack and destroy the invading giants. They were making progress too. He heard several giants fall and felt the vibration as they hit the ground. He smelled the blood of both friend and foe as it began to stain the island. He heard the battle cry of his group and the Amazons several miles away as those women began to work toward him.

After using a wolf to bludgeon a giant, Atreus looked up to appraise how far the front of the enemy line had traveled. He smiled. They needed to travel about 10 more miles before he needed to pull his troops out.

_Plenty of time_, he thought with a grin and looked for another wolf.

--

Diana did meet Atreus in the middle. He was sweaty and covered in blood that was not his own.

"This is going better than I thought!" he shouted to her as she took to the air.

She nodded in agreement as she punched the back of a giant's knee, bringing him down immediately. Although not as experienced in battle as she was, Atreus was just as aware of their chances of success as Diana. They were going to lose. Their best chance was to hold off Loki's army as best they could until Odin arrived. Then, there was a chance. But if Odin came too late or not at all, there was no way they could hold the island.

"One mile!" she said, knowing that while that information would help Atreus, it would not be enough to clue in the giants and wolves surrounding her, assuming that they could even hear her.

"I pull us out now then!" he said, continuing his "wolf as club" method of attack.

Again, Diana nodded in agreement. She had already sent the Amazons back out of the fray with the assignment of finding Ares. She knew her mother was having a hard time taking orders from her, especially those that kept the queen safe, but Diana didn't care. Perhaps she had been spending too much time with Batman, but she wanted to be able to concentrate on taking out giants, not what was happening to her mother. The fact that her mother could more than take care of herself was beyond the point.

She continued dodging the footsteps of the giants and then jumping into the air to punch out their knees. It had become something of a dance: punch out a giant's knee, land hard on one or two wolves, back into the air for the giants.

She could fly so she had more time. She had two miles.

It wasn't the distance that was bothering her. What was bothering her was that Loki had not made his appearance yet.

_Coward,_ she thought hatefully and fought on.

--

Batman turned to Rhea.

"Ready?" he asked. The thunder from the giants was getting louder. It was only a matter of minutes now.

He was standing on a longhouse roof with Rhea and several archers. The rest of them were divided onto groups occupying most of the longhouse roofs.

The Blótan woman nodded and turned to the pack of archers behind them. With a small hand movement from Rhea, dozens of arrows were notched onto the bows. Batman watching as from rooftop to rooftop, the archers prepared to fire.

"Wait for my signal," Batman said.

Rhea said nothing. Batman, even by his standards, had been cold during the wait. His skills as a strategist were unparalleled but he did not like dashing between various groups of warriors and preparing them. He should be doing the fighting, not assigning others to do it.

He watched without expression as several giants fell to their knees. Most of the first wave had pulled out – Batman had seen Atreus pull his group out and he had seen the Amazons leave the field. Several of them had gone in search of Ares and the others had joined the Blótan archers. He did not wonder for a second who was knocking the giants over.

_I'm not waiting_, he thought. _Get your star-covered ass out of there._

He did not say anything over the communicator. She knew the plan.

There was a tree that was serving as the line. When the first giant crossed the tree, it was time to fire.

Only he knew the exact marker. Everyone else had a vague idea based on experience and training.

He knew the archers were doing the math. The giants were huge and the arrows were, in comparison, quite small. He could have talked to them about it – about where to aim to maximize the arrows effectiveness, but he knew that they wouldn't listen. They had been trained from birth and he was a stranger who was only getting any respect because he was a friend of their chief. So, he was going to have to show them.

_50 feet_, he thought watching the lead giant. He heard the cry and the crash as Diana took down another giant. She was either not paying attention or didn't care. Either way, it was a stupid risk she was taking.

Then it happened – the lead giant crossed the tree. Batman pulled out his bow, set the arrow and let it fly. The lead giant grabbed his eye and fell hard.

He heard a cheer just before the sound of the first volley of arrows flew into the air. He jumped off the roof and went to join the others.

"When you have two arrows left, light 'em," he called up to Rhea and went to the next line of defense.

--

When she had heard the _pffft_ of the arrows, Diana flew high above the arrows. She watched them as they arched into the advancing giants.

She hovered for a few moments, considering her options. She could continue to take out giants but that would mean having to deflect some of the arrows which seemed counter productive, she could join the Atreus and join the next wave of attack or she could drop some rocks on the giants as she flew in search of Loki.

Batman had been quite clear on the subject. "Let the gods fight the gods; we will be busy enough," he had said.

But they had been fighting for a while now and too many things just weren't right in Diana's mind. Odin and Thor were no where to be found. The wolves and giants had stopped pouring over the mountain and there was no sign that Ares had brought a single warrior with him. Neither Loki nor Ares had put in an appearance and she had not heard from any of the Amazons who had gone in search of Ares.

She swooped to the ground and picked up a few boulders before flying towards the mountains.

_Time to fight some gods._

--

"What is she doing?" Atreus asked Batman as they watched Diana fly towards the mountain range

"Ignoring me," Batman said darkly. "She's going to find Loki."

Atreus made a move to activate his communicator which Batman stopped with a look.

"We need her here!" Atreus hollered.

The two men were standing in front of the foot solders. They were all waiting for the fire arrows. There had been one volley and once the second group had been fired, they would charge.

"Atreus, I have known her for years. She wasn't going to be here for the charge unless she could run towards Loki and Ares. She serves us better flushing out everything they have hidden behind those mountains."

"You _knew_ she was going to do that?" Atreus said, stunned.

"Too many people have called her a goddess," Batman said sternly. "Some part of her is beginning to believe it."

Atreus was clearly about to reply when the sky was lit by dozens of fire arrows and then the screams of giants and wolves as the arrows found their marks.

Atreus turned to the warriors behind him.

"This is our island!" he shouted. "When I see you in Valhalla, we will still say that!"

The army cheered and Batman felt a charge in the air as dozens of men turned themselves over to the Berserker.

He looked forward and saw thousands of giants and wolves continuing to charge towards the town. Their numbers had dipped with the earlier attacks but the good guys were still outnumbered by at least a factor of three.

_Odin may come in time to get his pick of the souls_, Batman thought as he and Atreus led the charge.


	13. Enter the Calvary

Chapter 12: Enter the Calvary

Chapter 12: Enter the Calvary

Ares was bored.

And getting angry.

He was unclear why Loki was the one in charge. Sure, he had brought the larger group but quality had to mean _something_. Ares hadn't even been sure that he could take dead warriors out of the Elysian Fields and convince them to fight but there they were. Some of the greatest warriors who ever lived were waiting.

_Just waiting_.

Loki apparently couldn't raise an army of the dead until Ragnarok. What Loki's obsession was with the rules of Ragnorok were completely beyond Ares. Ares didn't even think Loki had _tried_. If Loki had any idea how many favors Ares had to call in and how many rules he had broken to get the small group of warriors here, Loki wouldn't insist on waiting for Odin. He would jump into the fray _now._

And Loki had all the fun with the three Amazons who had come to stop them. Ares wondered what would have happened to the fourth if he hasn't been there to intervene. He was in big enough trouble if this didn't go right, and perhaps even if it did, without Loki hurting _her._

He turned towards Loki and walked over to him.

"When?" he barked at the Norse Trickster.

Loki looked at him with a mixture of disgust and boredom.

"Soon. Odin has to make an entrance." Loki paused and looked up towards the top of the mountain range.

"Ah, I was wondering when your princess was going to arrive," he said smoothly. "Excuse me, would you?"

He took several steps and then turned back to Ares.

"We probably ought to send the dwarves, don't you think?"

Ares sneered. They reminded him of Hephaestus. Sure, they could fight, but you would much rather they spend their time making things.

Ares went on to find the dwarves while Loki changed shapes and went to intercept Diana.

_All the fun_, Ares thought bitterly. Then he had a thought.

_Perhaps it was time to be in charge._

--

About 30 seconds before Batman and the others made contact with the giants and wolves, approximately 150 armed solders appeared between the two groups.

"Dwarves," Atreus growled and exchanged his sword for his axe.

The dwarves seemed aware of their precarious position. The giants weren't slowing down and neither were the Blótans. The master craftsmen were going to be crushed.

Batman watched as the dwarves had second thoughts about their participation. They formed a circle, facing both of the charging groups. For a moment, Batman thought perhaps the dwarves would take a few of the giants out when they all started chanting and then disappeared.

As Batman leapt into the air, springing off the back of a large wolf, in order to get on a giant's back, he realized that the dwarves had, for some reason, quit.

Hanging on the giant's back, he pulled out his modified blow dart and sent a spray of darts into the air. He watched with satisfaction as the majority of them found their marks and giants fell to the ground. He threw that blow dart down and pulled out another one.

He had dozens of them.

So that didn't worry him.

What was worrying him was that for the dwarves to leave the field, Ares must have done something without Loki.

_What was Loki doing that was so important that he would leave Ares alone with the troops?_

He didn't have a chance to consider that as the giant he was riding took a hit from a Berserker and started falling backwards.

--

Diana was nearly over the mountain when she saw Melina crouched behind a rock looking in the same direction Diana was flying. She was at once relieved to see Melina and concerned about the fate of the other three who had been with her.

Diana landed beside her. Melina looked at her and nodded in acknowledgement. She put her finger to her lips and waved Diana over to her.

Diana crept over and looked where Melina was pointing. Diana gasped at what she saw and knelt next to Melina so the two were side by side.

Achilles, Cadmus, Theseus, Jason, Agamemnon, Ajax and dozens of the finest Greek warriors were drifting together, watching Ares who was clearly speaking to them although Diana was too far away to hear them.

Diana was enraged. Those warriors had earned their rest. They didn't seem to be there against their wills, but they had been promised an eternity in the Elysian Fields and that is what they deserved.

She noticed that none of the other Amazons were there.

Including her mother.

She looked at Melina. "Where are our sisters?" she whispered. "My mother?"

Melina made an earnest gesture silencing Diana and then motioned towards Ares.

"Ares has them?" Diana hissed.

"Shhh!" Melina said, her eyes bulging with intensity.

That is when Diana noticed the problem. Melina had green eyes. The woman she was talking to did not.

In fact, by the time Diana realized she had found Loki, he had already buried a knife hilt-deep into her thigh.

--

The warriors of Valhalla were increasing in number. Odin, Thor and the rest of their army were waiting on the outskirts of the battle cloaked in invisibility. Odin didn't need to turn around to realize the number of fallen warriors in his group were increasing – he sensed their arrival as one might feel a light breeze blowing.

Thor was restless. Odin had held him back a few times because he knew that the warriors were equally restless. But until Loki made his appearance, Odin was not going to move.

At that moment, Odin's anger and hate of Loki burned brighter than his love for Blóta.

--

Ares had waited long enough. Whatever Loki was doing, it was taking too long. It was time to finish this battle. Odin wasn't coming so certainly none of the other gods were coming. It was time to just finish off the Blóta and get everyone back into the Elysian Fields before anyone important noticed souls were missing. Loki was going to have to deal with Odin some other time. Ares was tired of waiting.

He turned to the souls of the greatest warriors who had ever worshipped him and smiled.

"Gentlemen, it is time to attack."

The warriors didn't make any sound but their excitement did cause a ten degree drop in temperature.

They didn't go over the mountain range – rather than they went through it. Batman looked up as an eerie glow started racing towards them at an incredible pace. They seemed to be unclear as to whether or not the giants and the wolves were the enemy and would destroy some while leaving others unharmed.

It was a moment before Batman saw who was at the head of the new force. Then he heard a roar behind him and realized that Thor had returned. He was about ask the scouts for confirmation when he heard Rhea's voice over the communicator.

"Odin and his warriors are coming up behind you," she said, victory in her voice.

As Odin's warriors screamed their battle cry, an unholy sound echoed through the valley. The only other sound that could be heard was the screams of the fallen. At the sight of the Norse army, the Greek warriors gained speed.

Batman did not share her enthusiasm. He and the remaining Blótans were standing in the middle of two charging armies of the dead.


	14. Collision

Chapter 13: Collision

Chapter 13: Collision

"Fall back!" Batman screamed into the communicator. "Get behind Odin!"

He was not sure what would happen when the two armies of the dead met, but none of the likely scenarios suggested that anyone alive ought to be between them. It also stood to reason that the Norse army was more likely to recognize the Blótans as allies. What the Greeks might be was too much a mystery.

Atreus roared in anger. In his Berserker mode, that felt like a retreat and retreat was for cowards.

"Fall back, Atreus," Batman said firmly. "Gather the troops for a charge behind Odin's army."

The next roar from Atreus was more promising.

"To me!" he heard Atreus shout and the Blótan army moved back.

Batman joined them. They were going to gather and charge.

The Battle of Blóta, he suspected, would be done within the hour.

--

Diana screamed in a mix of pain and rage. In one move, she stood, wrapped one hand around Loki's neck and lifted him up and against the rocky side of the mountain.

"Did you just give me a weapon, Trickster?" she spat at him as she used her free hand to pull the knife from her leg. She suppressed a cry of pain. Years of training and some tips from Batman helped her keep the pain buried.

_Oh, Hera, give me strength. _

"You won't kill me," Loki said lightly.

"Of course not," Diana returned. "_I am going to give you to Odin."_

Terror flashed in Loki's eyes for just an instant. Diana guessed what his next tactic would be.

"Oh, please shape shift," she said darkly. "Something little. Like a bug. Then I can decide if I want to crush you in my palms or under my foot. Odin will forgive me."

"You won't kill me, Amazon," Loki mocked. "Because you don't know what happened to your mommy."

She tightened the grip around his neck. "Tell me," she said.

The expression he made was too cold to be a smile.

She felt something cold and heavy in the pit of her stomach and the momentary distraction was just what Loki needed. He shifted into a hawk and the explosion of feathers and talons caused a distracted Diana to let go. Without focusing on where, Loki took to the sky and found himself headed directly over the battlefield.

When he saw that Ares had taken the Greeks onto the field and that the only dwarves he could see were a couple of corpses, his desire to find and punish Ares helped him to forget the injured and enraged Amazon flying behind him at full speed, stretched as far as she could, trying to grab him.

--

Infantry, or foot soliders, has always been a key part of conducting warfare, however, the options for what to do, strategy-wise, with several hundred warriors on foot can be somewhat limited.

Bruce suspected that after the armies of the dead finished their engagement, the enemy's numbers would drastically decrease. So, Atreus and Bruce organized the remaining Blótans into two identical horseshoe formations, one in front of the other. Their strategy was for the first horseshoe to attempt to flank the enemy line, after which the second line would advance. The enemy would then be surrounded and fighting the Blótans on two fronts. The flanking line would be the anvil to the advancing line's hammer.

They were ready, but they were not going to move until the two armies of the dead had clashed.

--

The Greeks were too confused about what to do about the giants. Ares had not really made it clear what was to be done with them. Jason and Ajax immediately started slaying them. The other had spotted the Norse army and had recognized them as the more interesting target.

Ares was looking forward to meeting Thor and Odin on the field. Almost as much as they were looking forward to meeting him.

Five seconds.

--

"Four seconds," Batman said quietly into the communicator.

He had been focused on the two armies when he saw shapes zooming above the Greek army.

It was Diana. And the bird must be Loki, he mused.

He watched as the two of them managed to get ahead of the Greek army but not quite to the Norse army.

When the two armies met, there was an explosion that threw nearby trees out of the ground. The shock wave ripped up the ground for several yards.

Batman saw Diana drop from the sky after the explosion but did not see her hit the ground.

A giant tree flying towards him blocked his view.

He dropped to his knees and pulled his cape over him and a couple of the Blótans closest to him.

And prepared for impact.


	15. Clean Up

AN: Okay, it is time for reader participation - I have two possible endings to this story and need you, please, to take the poll on my profile page to help me choose which one I will use

**AN: Okay, it is time for reader participation - I have two possible endings to this story and need you, please, to take the poll on my profile page to help me choose which one I will use!**

Chapter 14: Clean Up

Thor went straight for the giants. Ares would have been a challenge to be sure, but Thor's reputation for a warrior was much more aligned with the giants than the Greek god. Thor wanted to kill some giants.

Odin was leading his army but he also was waiting for the moment when he could leave them to their efforts and find Ares and Loki. They were his.

Odin's army was relentless. Although they already spent their days in battle, this was a new and different location and they enjoyed the challenges of the different terrain. And there were many new warriors to fight.

Neither they nor their Greek counterparts noticed the destruction that their collision caused. They were completely focused on one another. If something living got between two of them, it was a quick death.

It was a no-holds-barred battle that had not been seen on the planet for longer than any of the gods could remember.

Because no one on the field was worried about dying.

--

Diana had regained consciousness in time only to give herself enough lift to alleviate some of the pain when she hit the ground. She rolled out of the way of the Greek soldiers. She had known several of them in life but was not certain of how much they remembered in death.

She lay there for a moment, taking measure of her injuries. She determined that there were some aches and a lot of bruising but the worst of her injuries was still from Loki's knife. It was deep.

_Loki._

She sat up and climbed out of the shallow crater she caused when she hit the ground. The trouble with searching for a shape shifter is that it is difficult to tell what shape to look for. She didn't see the hawk immediately but then her eye caught some movement in the sky.

A hawk was diving towards Ares, shrieking with fury.

--

The pounding on his cape had stopped for ten seconds. It was too dark under his cape to see the warriors on either side, so, continuing to face downwards, Batman said firmly, "all right, on three, we stand up together."

There were two grunts he took to be agreement.

He counted and on three, pushed up against the weight with all his might. Fortunately, the two warriors were able to keep up with him and they managed to stand.

The three turned and looked at the wreckage they had pushed off. One tree, several pounds of various destroyed foliage and a giant's arm which was conspicuously missing the rest of its giant were all piled up behind them.

Batman turned to see the status of the Blótans. There were now several gaps in horseshoes where Blótans had stood only moments ago.

The loss of life was beginning to wear on him. But not nearly as much as the bloodlust of, he feared, everyone else. He activated his communicator.

"Fall in. Let's get those lines rebuilt," he barked.

The remaining Berserkers roared with excitement, including the two he had saved. The Blótan women, without the Berserker rage, did not but moved with an energy that suggested they were prepared.

Two minutes later, with Atreus leading the first horseshoe and Batman leading the second, the final charge of the mortal Blótans began.

--

Loki returned to his actual form about three seconds before he reached Ares in order to maximize the force he hit the god with. He was not sure if he could kill the Olympian, but he was going to give it his best effort.

Ares stopped in mid-stride. He had been walking towards Odin with the same intensity the other was exhibiting. He had only barely noticed the hawk coming towards him until it suddenly became his partner in this glorious battle.

It took Ares a nearly immeasurable amount of time to realize that Loki was not coming to celebrate the beauty of the violence. Ares could not image what the problem was. All the difficulties with Loki were nothing compared to the pleasure Ares received from the scene in front of him.

The force of Loki's initial hit knocked him over. Ares quickly jumped up and drew his sword.

"You are too stupid to be believed," Loki spat. He stood, clearly ready to fight." Killing you is only doing the universe a favor."

Ares was not amused by the insults, but he smiled anyway. The Amazonian princess was stalking up to Loki on one side. His smile became broader when he realized Odin was stalking along the other side.

Wonder Woman got to Loki first. She grabbed Loki's arm, swung him around and punched him. She released his arm to let him fly backwards and then tackled him.

Odin paused for a moment. He clearly wanted to go after Loki but was willing to settle for Ares.

He threw Gungir, his spear, at Ares. The spear hit its mark.

Ares, with a look of surprise and a spear in his chest, fell.

Odin pulled Gungir out of Ares on his way to Loki.

"Occasionally, Loki is right," he snarled.

--

The giants were smart enough that they knew exactly what the Blótans were doing. However, there simply weren't enough of them left to successfully handle them and Thor. Some, who both knew the runes to speak to get them home and thought it was best to live to fight another day, disappeared from the battle ground.

The others faced the onslaught and died.

--

The roar from the Blótans was nearly deafening. Batman stood, surrounded by corpses and cheering warriors.

The armies of the undead continued to fight each other, but they didn't seem to care about the living. So, the living stayed out of their way.

Thor, with no more giants to kill, ran off towards Odin. Batman indulged himself for a second and closed his eyes. After counting to five, he opened his eyes and ran after Thor.

He never participated in the celebrations.

--

Diana had the upper hand on her fight with Loki when she felt someone grab her neck and throw her backwards. She snarled and was prepared to jump back into the fray, even if it was Odin who had tossed her.

She was about to spring when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh no, Amazon," Ares said darkly, with his other hand over the hole in his chest. "I'm afraid they are both mine."

For the second time in recorded history, Ares transformed in a wild boar and began to charge. Odin was too busy with Loki to either see or hear Ares' approach.

It was only when Ares was about a foot from Odin that a lightening bolt ignited the ground between the two of them. Ares stopped suddenly and reverted to his normal form. Odin, with one hand firmly on Loki, turned around to look.

The smoke cleared to reveal Zeus.


	16. The Meeting

Chapter 15: A Meeting

Chapter 15: A Meeting

There was a pause as nearly everyone who could see the god dropped to their knees. Only Odin, Batman, Thor and Odin's army of the dead were standing. Loki probably would have been standing had he not been on his back when Zeus appeared.

Thor and Batman were both about 50 yards from Odin and Zeus. When the Greek god appeared, Thor had stopped running for a moment but then had started running even faster. Batman followed suit.

Zeus put a hand on Ares, who had returned to his natural form, and lifted the god slightly off the ground.

"Odin, my apologies for the actions of this fool," Zeus said. The respect in his voice for Odin was as clear as his contempt for Ares. "You had beaten him fairly. His god status is the only reason he lives. He should have accepted that and _stayed down._"

Odin said nothing. He was standing with one foot holding down a struggling Loki. Finally, he spoke.

"No one called you here."

Thor, who was close enough to be considered part of the conversation snarled slightly and shifted his hammer in a menacing fashion. Batman had moved several feet away, close enough he could respond if necessary but far enough away that he was simply an observer. He glanced over to where Diana was kneeling, but other than confirming that she was alive and conscious, he could only see her back and could not really confirm how she was doing.

"No. But Hades was looking for some of his charges. It seems _someone_ removed some spirits from the Elysian Fields," Zeus snarled, looking at Ares as he spoke the last sentence.

Zeus waved a hand and the Greek warrior spirits disappeared.

Odin said nothing.

"The field is yours, Norseman," Zeus said. "The right to punish Ares is also yours, but I would like that privilege."

"The actions of Ares do not erase the actions of Hera," Odin said.

Zeus sighed a bit. The differences between the two showed a bit. "The field is yours. Loki is once again in your control. The island, well, the island can be moved. This will never happen again. I cannot imagine that Hera would give him another chance to betray her trust."

"Hera needs to be held accountable," Odin repeated.

"What would you have me do?" Zeus said with some frustration. "I give her to you for punishment and then the Amazons, with a host of my gods, come pounding down your door demanding her back. So, there is war. I punish her myself and your group and the Amazons come pounding on my door. And, again, we have a war. The point of this miserable island was to avoid a war. The goal of Ares and Loki was to start a war. Let's not let them win."

"War does not frighten me," Odin said. "But you are right, Loki should not win." With that, Odin put some extra weight on the foot holding Loki down. "I would rather put my energy to seeing if I can derive a punishment for my blood brother that is worse than what you can imagine for your son."

Zeus smiled.

"However," Odin continued. "If you expect me to believe that a mother's love blinded Hera to the faults of Ares, I will fight you here for considering me a fool."

Zeus' smile disappeared.

"Have her move the island," Diana said through clenched teeth.

Odin and Zeus both turned to look at her. "Explain," Odin said.

She looked up and Zeus flickered his hand in an upwards motion, clearly ordering her to stand.

If he had been less control of his emotions, Batman would have gasped. As Diana stood and turned to face the two gods, he got a clear look at her. She was a vision of primal beauty. Her eyes nearly glowed with anger, pain and disgust against the dirt and bruises on her face. She was holding one arm against her body and as she stood, she favored one leg which was nearly covered in blood – some dried and some new. In fact, she couldn't stand completely upright, but bent slightly as she kept weight off her wounded leg. He saw her make eye contact with him for a spilt second and then quickly look him over for other injuries. A mix of relief and happiness danced across her face but it quickly disappeared as her gaze returned to the gods.

"Have Hera move the island," she said. "Blóta must be moved to protect its citizens. Have Hera get involved."

"She can't do it," Zeus said. "She doesn't have enough power."

Diana nodded in agreement. "She can't do it alone. But she can help Odin and the Norse do it. It needs to be a group decision. It will wear Hera out and not gain her any worshippers. It will take a lot of time for her to recover. It may not as much of a punishment as Odin would like, but it will be a kind of punishment. But not enough of a punishment that anyone will pound down any doors."

Odin looked at Diana. "This is your protector you speak of."

"And I credit her for my surviving this day," she said. "She may be angry with me for the suggestion, but neither the Amazons nor the Blótans can survive another war between the gods."

Zeus looked at Odin. "She's right. But her suggestion would really set Hera off. I think I would rather chain her to a rock for a few centuries. At least I wouldn't have to live with her."

"What is a few centuries reclining against a rock to Hera?" Odin said and motioned towards Diana. "Her idea is better. Since I can't hurt Hera physically, I would rather hurt her pride."

Zeus grimaced. "But you are punishing me as well. What if we do what you did to Loki? While Hera is chained, we could have a snake drip poison on her."

Odin snarled. "When did she start feeling pain? If you won't let me punish her the way I want to, then we are going to accept the Amazon's plan."

Zeus frowned. "All right, she will oversee our side of the move of Blóta. The move needs to take place in four days. She will meet you in the usual place in two for planning."

Odin nodded. "Agreed."

Zeus tightened his hold on Ares. "Now, if you will excuse me, I need to take my son back home. You will not hear from him again."

"Wait!" Diana shouted.

Zeus gave her a look of disgust but did not leave.

"Ares needs to me what happened to my mother," she said.

Zeus looked at Diana and then at Ares. "He didn't do anything to your mother. She was the one who told Hades about the missing warriors. She was with Hades when he called for me."

Ares, sensing he could somehow redeem himself, spoke. "Loki wanted to kill her with the others but I knew that was not right so I sent her back to Themyscira."

Loki howled with rage under Odin's foot. "You idiot! How do you have enough brains to walk around? Even if you didn't want to kill her, which was stupid, there were about a million things…."

Loki was silenced by Odin, who had spoken a few words which had taken away his power of speech.

"Satisfied?" Odin asked Diana.

Diana nodded. A few tears were trickling down her face but she did nothing to stop them. Batman did not know if they were tears for the Amazons they had killed or joy that her mother was not among them or both.

Zeus looked at her with a gentle expression. "Your mother is safe. You have my word on that."

He looked at Ares. "You do not get any credit for that."

The last flicker of hope drained from Ares.

Batman watched the relief sweep across Diana's face. Then, as if it had been the only thing keeping her going, she lost consciousness and dropped to the ground.

Odin watched her fall and turned to Batman. "Tell her she has my protection. She fought Loki well. Tell Atreus I will be back in four days. He has until then to care for the dead."

He looked coldly at Loki. "And now you, my brother, let's see what we can dream up for you."

Loki said nothing but the hatred on his face was enough.

With that, Odin said a few words and he, Thor and Loki disappeared. Zeus nodded at the Dark Knight and, with Ares still in his grip, disappeared as well.

They had not completely disappeared before Batman reached Diana. He gathered her into his arms and held her for a moment. If she didn't regain conscious in a few seconds, he decided, he would carry her to a medic.

But just as he was trying to decide if he should just tend her wounds himself, she woke up and smiled faintly at him.

"We won," she said simply.

He looked up and across the island where the bodies still lay. As far as he could see, there were corpses, injured warriors and a landscape showing the signs of the recent struggle.

"I'm not sure about that," he said grimly.

She sat up and looked at him with a faint smile on her face. "I know."

She sat up. Batman placed his hand on her back to help but she seemed steady. He knew they needed to talk about what she had done and what it might mean. The battle had probably worn her down as much as it had him, but he didn't know when Zeus was going to talk to Hera.

"Odin says you have his protection," he said simply.

She looked at him with horror. "What will I do if I actually need it?"

"Adapt," he said firmly.

Her face hardened. "That's your answer." It wasn't a question but he could tell she wanted him to change his thinking. As he wasn't, he said nothing.

She looked at him for a minute. Then, despite her pain and exhaustion, her face set with determination. She inhaled deeply.

"Of course," she said with a hint of sadness. "That is all I can do."

With that, they both made their way back to Atreus and the rest of the Blótans.


End file.
